Warlock
by Quatermass
Summary: Zero was not the first masked rebel to appear in Area Eleven. The mysterious Warlock appeared some months before. His true identity was Harry Potter, a wizard from another world, and the boyfriend of Kallen Kozuki. But when Lelouch gains his Geass, will he be allies with Harry, Kallen, and the rebels they fight with? Or will dissension and distrust tear them apart from within?
1. Foreword

**FOREWORD**

 _Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion_ is one of those series that I've heard so much about, and yet, have never managed to get around to watching, at least until relatively recently, when I managed to snag the Blu-Ray set. Admittedly, I have only watched the first seven episodes, at least at the time of writing this, but I believe I have enough of a grasp of the story, as well as knowing future developments thanks to research, to start what I have been meaning to do for a few months now.

This crossover is heavily influenced by a number of pure _Code Geass_ fanfics, specifically SeerKing's _Code Geass: The Prepared Rebellion_ , and Primordial Vortex's _The Black Emperor_ , both of which I highly recommend. I used them as inspiration for how to do some divergence points for Harry being an influence on the _Code Geass_ story, though it should be noted that he won't be a hypercompetent schemer like Lelouch, more of an anarchic but savvy spanner in the works who has matured a little since Book 5.

Anyway, time for the usual disclaimers. Firstly, there will be spoilers for both Harry Potter and _Code Geass_. In addition, there may be some bashing of certain characters, albeit light bashing. I haven't decided yet.

Secondly, there will be heavy annotations, as is usual for my works. You have been warned.

Thirdly, this is an M-Rated work. There will be coarse language, violence, dark themes and sexual references. Again, you have been warned.

Finally, the following is a fan-written work. Harry Potter and _Code Geass_ are the properties of their respective owners. Please support the official release. Otherwise, CC will steal your credit card and rack up charges from Pizza Hut using it…


	2. Chapter 1: The Best Laid Plans of Mice

**CHAPTER 1:**

 **THE BEST LAID PLANS OF MICE AND MEN GANG AFT AGLEY…**

They called him the Warlock.

Some months prior, this mysterious masked figure appeared in Area Eleven, formerly Japan, and had coincided with the increased success of the most prominent resistance cell within Shinjuku. He resisted all attempts to capture him, using powers many would consider supernatural. And he was very much an embarrassment to the administration of Viceroy Prince Clovis la Britannia.

Most resistance or terrorist cells within Area Eleven, or indeed the countries conquered by the Britannian Empire (or any other superpower for that matter), tended to attack physically. Warlock, however, tended to attack more abstract things. Reputation. Dignity. Many of the so-called attacks by Warlock amounted to little more than embarrassing and humiliating pranks on a large scale.

Still, many analysts within Britannia who bothered to deem Warlock a threat believed that he would, eventually, escalate. It was only a matter of time before he became more than a headache…

* * *

The boy known as Warlock grimaced, clutching his head. Thanks to that damned crash, he had a pretty bad headache. He made his way through to the main cab of the truck, and looked at the others. Quickly, he pulled out his wand, and healed them, before he brought them out of consciousness. " _You two okay?_ " he asked, his voice distorted by a vocoder in the mask he was wearing, a simple crying theatrical mask, like something out of Greek theatre.

The red-haired teenaged girl, wearing a headband, nodded, rubbing her head. "Jiraiya?" she asked the man next to her(1).

"I'll live," he groaned. "You fine, Tsunade?"

"Yeah. We'd better get moving, though. We've probably drawn more attention with that crash," the girl said, before she looked up at Warlock. "You were going to tell us something before the crash. What is it?"

" _Good news and bad news, Tsunade. Good news is that's not poison gas in there, so we don't need to worry about dying if it gets punctured by a stray round. But I tried a few spells on a whim…and_ Homenum Revelio _brought up something. That's not a poison gas capsule…it's some sort of life-support unit and prison._ "

"…A human is in there?" the girl hissed as the man began to ready himself to start driving.

"Figures," the man said. "Even that bastard of an Emperor hasn't overtly disobeyed chemical weapons treaties. Human experimentation would be worse than poison gas production. If word gets out, Clovis would be disinherited at least."

" _I'll set up the broadcast when we get a moment so that we can show off whoever we fish out of there_ ," Warlock said. " _Assuming we can get out of here before the Britannians get off their arses. Anyway, why did we crash?_ "

"Some Britannian punks on a motorbike wouldn't get out of the way," the man said.

"I think I recognised them," the girl said. "One's Lelouch."

" _Did they see your face?_ " The girl shook her head. " _All right. Sensei had better start an evacuation of Shinjuku, just in case Clovis attempts a cover-up._ "

With that, Warlock left the cabin for the rear of the truck, only to hear someone calling out from the outside of the truck, asking if they were okay. Warlock cursed softly as the hatch on the roof opened, and someone fell into the truck in a gangly tangle of limbs as the truck started moving again. Instantly, Warlock was on him, grabbing him in a hold. Only to stop in surprise. _Of all the days to be a Good Samaritan, Lelouch vi Britannia_ , Warlock thought.

The boy he had borne to the floor of the truck was tall, rather slender, with handsome, even effeminate features framed by brown hair. His eyes were a deep violet, glaring at him angrily. No fear, oddly enough. He was like a Malfoy with less nastiness, more empathy, and actually capable of backing up his arrogance. "Warlock, I presume?" he asked.

" _Lelouch vi Britannia, I presume?_ " Warlock said, smirking at the fear that finally bloomed in his eyes. The teenaged exiled prince had changed his last name…to his mother's maiden name. If any real effort had been made to find him, well, while Lamperouge wasn't a wholly uncommon name in Britannian nobility, it was unusual enough for people to potentially put two and two together. He then used Incarcerous to wrap Lelouch in ropes, for now.

"What the hell?" Lelouch demanded, before Warlock took a strip of cloth and wrapped it around his eyes.

" _Quiet a moment. If you're lucky, you'll leave alive and intact_ ," Warlock said, kneeling next to the capsule, trying to find a means of opening it.

As the truck halted again, the girl came through, undoing the medical uniform she had been wearing. "I'm going out in the Glasgow, Warlock," she said quietly, before noticing their prisoner. "Who's this?"

" _Lelouch. Apparently he was trying to be a Good Samaritan. We'll hold onto him for now. Unless Clovis intends to wipe out the entire Shinjuku ghetto, he might make a good hostage._ " It would be as a bluff: Warlock agreed to work with this resistance cell specifically because they tried to avoid harming civilians. Warlock also made sure to whisper this, so that Lelouch wouldn't overhear. " _You okay, Tsunade?_ "

The girl nodded, before gently raising his mask, and kissing him. Warlock had to admit, she was beautiful when she wasn't pretending to be weak or lost in the depths of her fury. "Stay safe, okay?" she asked, as she replaced the mask.

" _You too. Don't fuck around. If one of Clovis' top pilots crash the party, like Gottwald or one of his Purist nutters, run._ "

She nodded, before she clambered into the back of the old Glasgow they had repaired and refurbished. Warlock had to admit, the concept of a Knightmare Frame, a sort of giant robotic walking battletank, was a cool one. Tsunade, aka Kallen Kozuki (well, Kallen Stadtfeld, but she preferred her Japanese surname), was their best pilot. Most of the cell he worked with could use a Knightmare Frame (hell, even he could if need be, despite having never heard of them back home), but Kallen was a prodigy. Smart, strong, and passionate…Warlock was glad to have her as his girlfriend.

After Kallen piloted the Glasgow from the truck, and Jiraiya, aka Nagata, began driving the truck away through the subways, Warlock returned to examining the capsule. "What are you going to do with that?" Lelouch demanded.

" _Expose your brother's crimes_ ," Warlock said simply. " _It's bad enough when we thought it was a chemical weapon. But this is a life-support capsule and a prison both, Lelouch. There's a person in there. I get the feeling your brother was up to human experimentation._ "

A sharp intake of breath, before Lelouch hissed, "Bastard."

"… _No love lost for your family then? I mean, I thought that was the case, but_ …"

Warlock felt that if Lelouch's eyes were uncovered, he would be meeting his gaze. "If you know who I am, then you know that I have little love for that incestuous mephitic mob I am forced by circumstance of birth to call kin. I only love three of my sisters, and none of my brothers."

Warlock was a little taken aback by the vehemence, but he smiled. " _Nunnally and Euphemia being the obvious ones, I am sure. Don't worry, your identities of you and your sister are only known to a few of us. We have a few idiots in our group who'd love nothing more than to try and do something like kidnap you and hold you to ransom. Ah, here we go._ "

The capsule suddenly opened, a brief hiss of air escaping, splitting open like a flower. Liquid flowed out, revealing the form of a young woman in restraints, part of it covering her mouth. Green hair flowed out, while golden eyes opened and peered at them, liquid evaporating off her lithe form. She looked to be anywhere from her late teens to her early twenties. She flopped out, and Warlock was on her in an instant, beginning to remove restraints. As her eyes fluttered closed once more, Warlock pointed his wand at her, and murmured, "Ennervate." Her eyes opened wide, and she coughed out some of the liquid. " _It's okay_ ," Warlock said gently. " _I can't say that you're safe…but you're away from Clovis._ "

She looked at him, and then at his wand. "…Curiouser," she commented, before she looked over at Lelouch. "And curiouser," she added. "Have I fallen in with someone with a bondage kink?"

Warlock stared at the woman incredulously. " _Says the woman in the straitjacket!_ " he retorted. " _What do I call you?_ "

"…CC," she said. "Spelled like 'cee-cee', pronounced 'cee-two'."

"… _Your parents must've hated you_ ," Warlock remarked. CC rolled her eyes.

Suddenly, there was the chatter of machine gun fire, and Warlock bore CC and Lelouch to the floor of the truck, just in case the bullets penetrated the sides of the truck. " _Do they know there's no poison gas?!_ " Warlock snapped.

"Unlikely," CC said. "Clovis, Bartley, and a few of his staff would be the only ones to know."

"Someone's being reckless, then," Lelouch remarked dryly.

The truck ground to a halt, and Warlock hurried over to the cab, to find Nagata there, grimacing from wounds from a machine gun. They were currently underground, in an old subway station. " _Jiraiya!_ "

"Warlock…sorry. Someone in a Sutherland…they hit me," Nagata said, grunting in pain.

Warlock grimaced, even as he tried to stop the bleeding. The magic he used could only do so much. He could stabilise Nagata, but not heal him as well as he'd like, as he was a rank amateur when it came to healing spells. And he didn't dare use a Portkey, not after the incident with the stray cat when he was testing whether he could make a Portkey.

"…Leave me," Nagata said. "I'll be a decoy, take as many of those bastards with me when they come."

" _No, no, no, you're not making yourself a fucking martyr, Jiraiya. I may not have been able to save Naoto, but I can save you_ ," Warlock snapped. " _Or do you think Tsunade will want you to be a martyr?_ "

"I'm not well enough to move. I'd slow you down, and the only treatment these bastards'll give me is a bullet in the head," Nagata rasped. "…Did you manage to open the capsule?"

" _Yeah. Like I thought, there was someone inside, a woman. Calls herself CC._ " The side door of the truck was slid open, and Warlock cursed. He dashed through to find someone in military gear checking on Lelouch and CC. No sidearm. An Honorary Britannian?

"Lelouch?" the soldier asked, his head concealed by a helmet and gasmask. "What are you doing here?"

Lelouch blinked. "Suzaku? Behind you!"

Suzaku, whoever that was, whirled, but Warlock was faster, sending the soldier sprawling with a Stunner. It didn't knock him out thanks to the helmet, but Warlock was on him. " _Quisling…do yourself a favour and get the hell out of here. There's no poison gas, just a cover-up on human experimentation. Or else your friend would have been dead already. This woman was the only thing in the capsule._ "

"What?" Suzaku demanded, tearing off his helmet to reveal a handsome, brown-haired Japanese boy.

CC shot Warlock a flat look. "I am not a _thing_ , thank you."

Suddenly, lights snapped on, and Warlock dove for cover as a hail of gunfire spat at them. Suzaku yelled, "Hold your fire! There's Britannian civilians here!"

When the guns stopped firing, a voice barked out. "Name, rank and serial number, soldier!"

"Suzaku Kururugi, Private, HB2000/6/PR4, sir!" Suzaku yelled.

"Out of the truck, Private!"

Suzaku hopped out, and Warlock peeked out, removing Lelouch's ropes, just in case they needed to make a break for it. Lelouch seemed to understand the situation, as he made no move to attack them. Warlock heard the conversation, and grimaced. Suzaku was about to get murdered just for seeing too much, so as Suzaku refused to shoot Lelouch and the others, Warlock slid out of hiding and yelled, "EXPELLIARMUS!"

The gathered soldiers, members of Clovis' Royal Guard, went flying, as did their weapons. Suzaku stared in surprise, while Warlock yelled, " _RUN, NOW!_ " Honorary Britannian he may be, but Warlock wasn't going to let him be killed because he saw the wrong things.

Suzaku seemed torn, before he fled. Warlock then sent the most powerful Bombarda he could manage at the Royal Guard. Once more, they were flung into the air, but one of them, their leader, managed to dive away, picking up a gun, and shooting Warlock, sending him sprawling with a wound to the shoulder, his head slamming against the truck, stunning him. "The great and powerful Warlock…while killing you would be a pleasure, I think Clovis would want to talk to you…still, we can't leave any other witnesses."

He swung the pistol around to Lelouch, only for CC to scream, "He mustn't die!" The back of her head exploded in a gory spray as she took the shot meant for Lelouch.

"…Bastard," Lelouch hissed.

"It was dumb luck," the man sneered. "Sorry kid, but you're about to become a casualty of war. Tortured to death by the terrorists, along with the girl. We were ordered to bring her in alive, but, well, she wanted to be a hero, I guess. What do you think?"

Warlock, who was trying to shake away the fog in his skull, saw the impossible. He saw CC's corpse suddenly reach out and grab Lelouch's hand. After a moment, CC's hand dropped away, and Lelouch was glaring at the soldier. "Tell me then…how would a Britannian who despises his own country conduct himself?"

"You some sort of dissenter, brat?"

Warlock blinked, only to see that something had appeared in Lelouch's left eye, a bird-like symbol outlined in red energy. "Are you afraid to shoot? Or are you now realising that the only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to perish in their turn? I, Lelouch vi Britannia, **_ORDER YOU TO DIE!_** "

Warlock saw the man's eyes turn red briefly, and he maniacally laughed, "With pleasure, Your Highness!" he said, before pressing his gun to his head, and pulling the trigger, painting the nearby walls with his brains.

Warlock blinked, getting shakily to his feet, before he said, "… _Okay…what the fuck was that?_ " He used his magic to remove the bullet from the wound, and then heal it as best as he could. It'd probably scar, but it wasn't the first one he had.

Lelouch looked over to him, and frowned. "I could ask you the same thing, given those abilities you used. You seem to know me better than I would like most other people to know."

" _Trust me, I know what it's like to have expectations made of you, not to mention dead parents, Lelouch. To be taken away from everything you know. Besides…they call me Warlock. That should be pretty self-evident as to what my abilities are. They're magic._ " He waved his wand for emphasis.

"…You can't be serious."

" _No, that was my godfather._ " With that, Warlock felt some sadness come over him, reminded of the too-recent, too-painful past. "… _Anyway, we'd better get moving. It seems Clovis intends to do a cover-up. We need to stop him somehow._ "

Lelouch nodded. Warlock knelt down near CC's body, and frowned. Was it him, or was her bullet wound shrinking? It was.

The truck door opened, and Nagata slumped out, looking haggard, but alive. "I think you managed to do the trick, Warlock. What the hell did he do?"

" _Something. Jiraiya, we're taking the girl. She's healing from what should be a fatal wound. And we need to find a way to stop this mess._ "

Nagata nodded, before handing Warlock Kallen's discarded radio. "I'll set the truck to self-destruct. We'll rendezvous at the hideout. What about this guy?"

" _I'll think about how to deal with him._ " Warlock used a Mobilicorpus for CC. " _Let's go._ "

And with that, the group split, Nagata making his own way back, too injured to do more than to head back to base. Meanwhile, Warlock escorted Lelouch and the healing body of CC through the subway building, hearing the distant pops and crackles of gunfire.

Beneath Warlock's mask, Harry Potter snarled. Those bastards, so much like the Death Eaters, thinking themselves superior to anyone and everyone, those bastards attacking innocent civilians would pay…

* * *

 **OPENING**

 **SONG:** ** _Stand Proud_** **by Jin Hashimoto, Takatuku Wakabayashi and ZENTA, English lyrics by Triv, sung by Mark de Groot (opening to** ** _JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders_** **)**

 _As the opening chords begin, we see Lelouch holding a mask as Zero posing, before Kallen and CC, back to back, appear on the next set of notes, before we see Harry as Warlock (sans mask) from the back, before he turns and points his wand at the camera, before the camera zooms in on his eye, a Geass symbol briefly appearing before the caption_ _ **WARLOCK**_ _appears over the Geass vortex_.

As all these memories fade to stardust,

Let's brave the world just like the men we are,

We'll make it far!

 _We see ghostly, smoky images of the lives of Harry, Kallen, Lelouch and CC in what could be clouds or plumes of scintillating dust we move through. We see, at least briefly, Harry falling through the Veil, Marianne and Nunnally being shot, Kallen's mother on Refrain, CC burning at the stake, and so on. We then see the Black Knights standing on a Knightmare Frame, zooming in on Harry and Lelouch dressed as Warlock and Zero, flanked by CC and Kallen, with Harry and Lelouch flinging out their cloaks, briefly obscuring the screen_.

Can't let the hands of time enslave us,

'Cause you know that's not the way we wanna go.

 _We see brief flashes of Lelouch's declaration to Suzaku when they were younger, before they fade to show Suzaku alongside Euphemia and Cornelia, along with Gottwald and Villetta, standing in front of the Lancelot_.

Caught up in a bind, fingers tied,

But I'm gonna prove that we've won,

'Cause we're made of platinum!

 _We see Nunnally confined to her wheelchair, Lelouch and Sayoko doting on her, then Hermione, Dumbledore, Remus, Sirius and the Weasleys walking through the streets of the settlement. Then, the JLF and Tohdoh in one of their debates. We then see Harry, Lelouch, CC and Kallen, in Black Knight gear, sans masks, looking ready to fight. We then zoom in on Lelouch's eye, with the Geass appearing_.

Take a stand! Take a stand! Take a stand!

And you'll turn it around!

Understand! Understand! Understand!

That they'll burn to the ground!

 _We see, in an abstract landscape, Kallen using her Guren Knightmare to fight against the Lancelot. Harry, in Warlock gear, is teleporting around Cornelia trying to attack him in single combat. We then see Lelouch, his hand outstretched, his Zero mask sliding open to show the Geass symbol in his eye. We zoom in, and see three brief flashes of Charles and VV, Schneizel, and then Voldemort_.

Break it down! Break it down! Break it down!

And don't give me a frown!

Be a star, and try to stand proud!

 _We move down the pillar into the Sword of Akasha, showing Harry, Suzaku, Lelouch, Kallen, CC, Euphemia, Cornelia, Hermione and others in the structure proper, surrounded on all sides by enemies, the Jupiter-like form of C's World hanging in the sky, symbolically defending C's World from Ragnarok. We then cut to Harry, Lelouch, Kallen and CC standing back to back, looking determined, as Voldemort and the Death Eaters come for them, zooming out once more_ …

 **CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, a post-Book 5 Harry's a key member (NOT the leader) of Ohgi's cell. And Kallen's his girlfriend. And it seems he already knows more about Lelouch than Lelouch would like. Oh dear. Incidentally, the song is** ** _Stand Proud_** **, and I don't own the lyrics, official or fan-translated.**

 **As stated above, Harry is NOT the leader of Ohgi's cell. He's more their trump card, the sort of person who does all the spectacular work. However, given his experiences before, he's made sure that the Ohgi cell actually have codenames. We'll get more into that later.**

 **1\. I used the names of Jiraiya and Tsunade not from** ** _Naruto_** **, as you might believe, but rather, from** ** _The Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant_** **, a Japanese folk tale. Of course, Masashi Kishimoto was inspired by said tale…**


	3. Chapter 2: Revelations

**CHAPTER 2:**

 **REVELATIONS**

A few minutes later, as they made their way through a veritable warren of abandoned buildings, Harry heard the voice of CC remark, "Hmm, a novel way to travel, being levitated. I can walk now, so you can let me down."

Harry did so, and the beautiful green-haired woman got to her feet. Lelouch glanced at her. "So, you didn't die."

"And you can state the obvious," CC snarked. "How do you like my gift?"

" _Gift?_ " Harry asked.

"The power of Geass," CC said.

" _That mind-control thing he did?_ " Harry asked. " _Like the Imperius?_ "

"...Yes. I found it useful," Lelouch said. "Thank you, CC. We'll talk about this later. First, we need to get out of here."

" _Easier said than done_ ," Harry said. " _Hear that gunfire? Clovis has ordered an outright massacre, no doubt. I'm hoping that our group has managed to evacuate the civilians to hiding places, but even so, there's only so much we can do. And only one of us would find bullet wounds a mere annoyance._ "

* * *

They made their way into a warehouse, and just as Harry was helping CC get some supplies out from underneath some rubble, a Sutherland burst through. Thankfully, the pilot could only see Lelouch, and demanded answers. Lelouch seemed to try and use his Geass, only for it to fail, so he spoke a lie, claiming to be someone called Alan Spacer.

Harry recognised the woman who emerged from the Sutherland, given her presence alongside Gottwald during his public appearances. The dark-skinned woman with blue hair and an athletic frame was Villetta Nu, Gottwald's second in command. And once she was close enough, Lelouch brought her under control.

" _Why didn't you tell him that it was based on eye contact?_ " Harry hissed at CC as Lelouch interrogated Villetta.

"I'm still half-drugged from the capsule," she retorted quietly. "And I've had a bullet go through my head. Forgive me if I don't give the boy a book titled _Geass for Dummies_."

As the pair of them emerged, Lelouch said, "Warlock, if you want to ask her anything, go ahead. I've ordered her to answer any questions you might ask. I only ask that you keep her alive. I've decided to make her my mole within the Purists. And given that I need eye contact for the Geass to work, I can't exactly force you to comply. Once you're done with your questions, say to her, ' _Lamperouge Flash(_ _1)_ '. You'll have ten minutes to leave before she reverts to normal after that. I'm going to help your comrades."

" _Then I'll make my own way back. Unless you happen to come across a whole train of Sutherlands or something._ "

Lelouch flashed Harry a knowing smirk, before looking at CC. "Care to join me? It'll be a little cramped, but…"

"Yes, I do believe I will take this gentleman's offer of a ride," CC said, before looking at Harry. "Thank you for helping me."

As the pair of them got into the Sutherland and left, Harry looked at Villetta. " _Did you know that Clovis was engaged in human experimentation on that woman?_ "

"No."

" _And if you had known, what would you have done?_ "

"Reported it to Margrave Gottwald," she responded automatically in a flat tone. It reminded Harry of the time when Barty Crouch Junior was questioned under the influence of Veritaserum.

After a moment, he said, " _Why is Gottwald so xenophobic?_ "

"He believed the Elevens killed the children of Marianne vi Britannia. He feels their demise deeply as another failure, after his failure to protect Marianne."

" _And if he found out they were alive?_ "

"He would immediately be loyal to them."

" _And you?_ "

"Where he goes, I go. I joined the Purist Faction out of loyalty to him."

Hmm, useful information. Could Gottwald be an ally? The key thing was Lelouch. And as tempted as Harry was to kill this woman for her own xenophobia, Lelouch had said he had turned her into a mole. So he decided to just content himself with hitting her with a spell that turned her into a clown, before saying, " _Lamperouge Flash._ "

* * *

As he fled through the Shinjuku Ghetto, attacking Britannian soldiers whenever he could do so, Harry realised that he couldn't find Kallen's radio. He still had his own, so he dialled it to the frequency of Kallen's Glasgow, and said, " _Tsunade, are you there?_ "

" _A little busy right now, Warlock!_ " Kallen said. " _Gottwald's not letting up, and my Glasgow is now missing an arm!_ "

" _Right, well, there's some good news. Our stowaway has decided to help out. He's in one of the Purists' Sutherlands._ "

" _Indeed I am_ ," Lelouch's voice, albeit distorted by a vocoder of his own, sounded. " _Tsunade, use the train tracks to get to the West Entrance! If you want to win against them, go there! Warlock, what's your status?_ "

" _On foot. Avoiding any Knightmare Frames, but dealing with any goons trying to kill civilians._ "

" _Right, keep doing that._ "

After a moment, Harry realised he wasn't far away, and watched as Kallen leaped up onto some tracks, pursued by Gottwald, who roared over his external speakers that she couldn't escape. However, he got intercepted by a train, and the Knightmare Frames pursuing Kallen were shot down by the mostly-concealed Sutherland that had to be Lelouch's, though Kallen landed the final blow on Gottwald's, forcing the Purist to eject.

Harry'd done his best to help the evacuation and thin out the attacking Britannian infantry, so he decided to head on up there. He was able to Apparate within a line of sight, so he appeared with a loud crack right near Kallen's Glasgow, with Ohgi and the others running up nearby. " _How's the evacuation?_ " he asked.

Ohgi nodded. "We managed to get it done, as best as we could. But the soldiers, they killed the stragglers. What was with the radio message earlier, telling us to come here?"

" _We got help from someone_ ," Harry said, deciding to fudge it. " _We'll talk later, Sensei. We can trust him…for now. I know who he is_."

"Then tell us, dammit!" snapped Tamaki, he of the short temper and tiny mind.

" _Shut up, Baka_ ," Kallen and Harry chorused. His actual callsign was 'Baku', after the dream-eating creature, but they weren't in the mood to call him his proper callsign.

Lelouch contacted them again, talking to Ohgi and asking what he intended with the capsule, before agreeing to help them. And to Harry's astonishment, there were twenty Sutherlands. Looks like Lelouch did manage to find a train of Sutherlands. Harry began casting Repair Charms on Kallen's Glasgow. He couldn't do much about her missing arm, but a few other things could be repaired.

" _By the way, Mysterious Voice, what do we call you?_ " Harry asked.

" _For now…call me K-1. At least you have the sense to use codenames over an open line. I'd like listings of everyone's codenames, except for Warlock, Tsunade, and Sensei, I've already got those. Oh, and Baka's._ "

 _K-1? Isn't that the notation for the King's starting position in chess? The ego on this guy,_ Harry thought, thinking back to Ron, and regretting it almost immediately. Still, after finishing up with Kallen, he got into his own Sutherland. " _K-1, I'm nowhere near as good as Tsunade using a Knightmare Frame. When I do, my specialty is sniping, not close combat._ "

" _Understood, Warlock. The Identification: Friend or Foe units on those should be disabled, and I can send you a feed of those from the Britannian forces. I need you all to follow my instructions to the letter_ …"

* * *

The battle was ridiculously easy, though Harry suspected it was because Clovis was a shitty commander in battle, whereas Lelouch…well, Harry and Kallen went to the Ashford Academy, and Harry, though information gathering, knew Lelouch was a chess player better than Ron. Indeed, he often played games for money, fleecing nobles who underestimated the slender teenager. This sense of tactics was obviously brought over into real life, given the results he was getting.

Harry, for the most part, enjoyed sniping some of the Knightmare Frames from afar. And soon, they had dealt with almost all of the Knightmares. However, he noticed something in the distance. " _K-1, I see what appears to be a Knightmare trailer in the distance. Patching in a feed._ "

After a moment, Lelouch said, " _Hmm…even without the markings, I'm going to guess that it's associated with the Earl of Pudding._ "

" _Who?_ " Tamaki demanded.

" _Lloyd Asplund_ ," Lelouch explained. " _The rather eccentric head of Japan's branch of Camelot. They do weapons R &D. Which means that trailer may have an experimental next-gen Knightmare Frame. Stay alert._"

The Knightmare that emerged was ridiculously fast, agile, gleaming white, and armed to the teeth. Harry watched as it tore a few of their Sutherlands apart, and when he fired, it was blocked by a shield. " _Shit_ ," he muttered. " _K-1, I'm not sure what the hell we can do to this thing. The pilot is good, and this thing is armed to the bloody teeth._ "

" _Understood, Warlock. If you can slow it down, do so._ "

" _Easy for you to say_ ," Harry muttered. The Knightmare had turned to attack Kallen, and Harry aimed for one of the leg joints and fired. This time, it managed to damage the leg. Instantly, the Knightmare fired one of its Slash Harken harpoon/grappling hooks at Harry's Knightmare, and while he evaded in time, his rifle wasn't so lucky. As the new Knightmare grappled up using another, Harry made his way away, pulling out a Chaos Grenade. " _Everyone near me, get the hell away! I'm leaving this wanker a Chaos Grenade as a gift._ "

He primed it and leapt off the edge of the building. Blasts of high velocity shrapnel spat out. " _K-1, anyone looking on, did I get the bastard?_ " Harry demanded as he used the Slash Harkens to descend safely.

" _You managed to get him, Warlock, but he used his shields to absorb most of the damage_ ," Lelouch replied. " _Warlock, Tsunade, please act as decoys. I'm going to put an end to this. You know how, Warlock._ "

 _The Geass?_ Harry thought. But as a nearby building crumbled, a woman and a baby began plummeting to their doom. And Harry, cursing what Hermione called his 'saving people thing', ran to catch it, even as the new Knightmare dropped down.

He managed to catch the mother and child, adjusting the hands in just the right way to minimise injury, but cursed as the Knightmare landed in front of him. Whoever the Britannian was had him vulnerable, and they wouldn't give a crap about a Japanese mother and child dying.

Except, they were hesitating. Eventually, they turned on their external speakers, and said, " _I won't fight you while you're holding them. Put them down now._ "

Harry blinked. Wasn't that voice Suzaku's? For a moment, he debated whether to use them as meatshields, but while Harry was a harder person than he was before, he wouldn't stoop that far. Unless it was a bluff.

He gently lowered his hand, and the woman scurried to safety with her burden. " _Private Kururugi…so you made it to safety_ ," Harry said through the external speakers. " _Now I'm beginning to wonder whether saving your arse from those bastards trying to kill you was a good idea. Gratitude has a rather short half-life, doesn't it?_ "

" _You're doing things wrong! Violence only begets violence! Why can't you accept that?_ "

"… _Well, let's just say that I've a major allergy to elitist arseholes. And if you seriously think that people should bend over and lube up just because some old bastard with a shitty attitude, a shitty beard, and a shitty wig, claims survival of the fittest is paramount…_ _ **think again**_ _._ "

Suzaku seemed to have had enough, as he fired a couple of Slash Harkens at Harry. But Harry had a plan. A stupid, reckless plan, but a plan all the same. As the cockpit of his Sutherland ejected, he Apparated across to the Knightmare Suzaku was piloting, ending up perched just behind the mecha's head. " _Surprise, bitch!_ " he yelled. "ALOHAMORA!"

Now, he had no idea whether this'd work, but to his amazement, the cockpit disengaged and opened up, revealing a very surprised Suzaku. Harry promptly Stunned him, using Mobilicorpus to send him down to the ground, safely. For now. He crawled into the cockpit, and looked around. He'd have no hope of piloting this, but he reckoned denying the enemy one of its weapons would be a good consolation prize. "BOMBARDA MAXIMA!"

He Apparated to the ground just in time as the cockpit erupted in flames. Rubble came crashing down, separating him from Suzaku. Harry wasn't sure whether he was going to kill the idiot. He was a threat, true…but Harry saw a little of himself in the Japanese boy. Before idealism was killed by his fifth year at Hogwarts. Before the Department of Mysteries, Sirius hit by a curse, Harry intercepting him, only to be knocked through the Veil…only to end up in Japan in a parallel world.

Clicking his tongue irritably, Harry went to go look for Kallen and the others. He was about to deal with some soldiers who were searching the area when he heard Clovis' voice announce a ceasefire. A grim grin touched his lips behind the mask. It seemed that Lelouch had struck…

* * *

In the hideout later, as Tamaki was being chewed out by Ohgi (it was Tamaki's mistakes that caused the Britannians to be alerted sooner), Harry, who had taken off his mask, was talking to Kallen in the corner, having erected a Privacy Charm. Nagata, thankfully, had managed to make it back to base, and was currently being tended to. "So K-1 was Lelouch?" Kallen asked.

"Yeah. I'm guessing his exile's made him bitter towards his former countrymen," Harry said, running a hand through his tangled black hair. He looked at Kallen. "Are you all right?"

"Just a few bruises," the redhead said, smiling. The fiery girl had taken some time to warm up to Harry completely, but they were now inseparable. "What about you, Harry? What was that reckless crap about taking on that Knightmare outside of one?"

"I took a risk. If it didn't work, I would have gotten the hell out of there," Harry said. "Anyway, I've managed to give the Earl of Pudding a blow to his ego, and he won't like that…"

* * *

"NOOOOOO!" Lloyd Asplund wailed, cradling debris from the Lancelot as if it was his dead child. Which it was, in a perverse way. True, the cockpit was the only part of the mecha that was completely totalled: the rest of the Knightmare Frame, while damaged, could be repaired relatively easily. But to Lloyd, it was as if someone had killed his child.

"…Is he going to be okay?" a rather battered Suzaku asked.

Cecile Croomy, Asplund's beleaguered assistant, sighed. "Define 'okay'," she said. "It gets pretty loose around him."

"DO NOT WANT!"

* * *

"Even so, I don't want you risking your life like that, Harry," Kallen said.

"Hey, you were the one fighting off Jeremiah fucking Gottwald," Harry retorted. "I should be saying that to you, though Lelouch's little bit of intelligence gathering helped. Still…that ability he used…the one CC called Geass…we've got to be careful, especially if he helps us in future. We tell Ohgi, and make sure Nagata's quiet about it. I think we should head back to Ashford Academy soon."

"Ugh, I hate that place. Most of the Britannians there are idiots. Even that genius girl, Nina or whatever it was? She's ridiculously scared towards Japanese. I dunno why you spend so much time trying to befriend her," Kallen said.

"Hey, she saw her family murdered by a Japanese mob during the invasion. Not to mention what happened when she wandered into the ghetto by accident. She's afraid of Japanese, she hasn't got the whole superiority complex thing most of those idiots have. And I've managed to get her to engage in intellectual debate about the issue. Hopefully, she'll just be cautious than a nervous wreck. Anyway, if she's anything like her namesake back home…" Harry's face fell at the reminder. Home. A whole universe away. And his friends, if they were still alive, separated by the walls of time and space.

Kallen gently put an arm around his shoulder, knowing what he was thinking about. It took her some time to believe that he was from another world. "We'll find a way back," she said quietly. "I want to see a world where Japan is free, and Britannia doesn't exist."

Harry scoffed morosely. "I want to show you that world…but I can't. So…I do what I can here."

The two sat together like that, for some time. The wizard, and the freedom fighter. Fighting against a monolithic empire. An impossible, quixotic task. But then again, Harry had first done the impossible when he was still in nappies. What else was new?

 **CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, we've had a similar but not quite the same battle in Shinjuku. Harry's been rather reckless.**

 **1\. This code word to deactivate Villetta in 'mole mode' comes from SeerKing's** ** _Code Geass: The Prepared Rebellion_** **.**


	4. Chapter 3: The Wizard, the Witch, the

**CHAPTER 3:**

 **THE WIZARD, THE WITCH, THE PRINCE AND THE REBEL**

The position Harry occupied within the Stadtfeld household was an unusual one. Given Kallen's frequent absences from Ashford Academy for reasons of 'sickness' (her cover for going out and sticking it sideways to the Britannians), Harry generally was considered to be her personal assistant, as well as a fellow student at Ashford. The cover story was that he was an orphan from a family that had fallen out of favour with the Emperor, not nobles, but rather, one of those middle class families that managed to gain some small influence, at the risk of losing it in the vicious game of thrones of the Britannian Empire.

Harry was generally sent to Ashford whenever Kallen couldn't make it (he was only recently brought on missions as Warlock, with Naoto deciding to trust him). It was already pretty widely known that Harry and Kallen were boyfriend and girlfriend. And Milly Ashford, the vivacious and somewhat perverted President of the Student Council, loved to make insinuations that Harry and Kallen were sleeping together.

To tell the truth, Harry and Kallen weren't actually far from that already. It helped that her brother Naoto had actually encouraged their relationship before his demise. Plus, Harry remembered jokes Sirius used to make about Potters and redheads. At the time, it was about Ginny and Lily, though at the time, Ginny was just Ron's starstruck little sister. Harry had to admit, while he had a thing for Cho, he realised, in hindsight, he had more of a thing for Hermione. Kallen reminded him of Hermione, that righteous fire, being stuck between two worlds. Hermione was sandwiched between the mundane and the magical, while Kallen was between the Japanese and the Britannian worlds. At least with her red hair and blue eyes, she could pass for Britannian (that was, Caucasian). She barely had any epicanthic folds around her eyes.

As he escorted Kallen, who had gone into her sickly, frail persona she adopted for school, he considered what happened to him. The Department of Mysteries. The battle for the prophecy orb. Seeing Ron getting attacked by those brains, Hermione going down from a curse. Sirius and Bellatrix facing off in front of a gateway with a Veil, only for Bellatrix to knock Sirius back with a curse. Harry managing to get between Sirius and the Veil in time, only to be knocked through himself. The last thing he heard on that Earth being Bellatrix's howl of triumph, and Sirius and Remus' screams of despair.

The next thing he knew, he was waking up with some fuckwit screaming at him in Japanese, holding a knife to his throat. Harry took issue to that, and blasted him away with magic. And said fuckwit, Tamaki, had never really improved his relationship with Harry, either. At best, Tamaki begrudgingly acknowledged his usefulness with magic. Of course, having someone who looked Britannian suddenly appear in a flash of light within the HQ of a rebel cell was disconcerting, and only Harry's obvious exhaustion and bemusement helped prevent a summary execution. Harry, however, was forced to flee, until he came across a group of Britannian soldiers brutalising some Japanese people. Pissed off, and not giving a shit about the Statute of Secrecy, he had used some spells to hang said soldiers by their trousers from a nearby streetlight, and made them look like clowns.

It was Naoto and Ohgi who had witnessed that, trying to catch him. And it was those two who, albeit warily, decided to give Harry the benefit of the doubt. It had taken a long time for him to get accepted by the others, including Kallen.

He had to admit, he and Kallen didn't get along at first. She didn't help with her disgust towards Britannians, and he didn't help by his contempt towards her xenophobia. It had all come to a head a month after he first arrived in Japan, when they had a blazing row where he compared her to the Death Eaters, and she, well, lost her temper. He was forced to use a Body Bind on her, and then looked at her with disdain, saying she was no better than the Britannians she hated, thinking herself superior to them.

He very nearly walked out on them there and then. It was Naoto who persuaded him to come back. And after he spoke with his sister, things got, well, better. Not immediately. It took time for the pair to apologise to each other. In fact, it was only after a particularly dicey operation, when Harry saved her life from a Britannian attacking her, that the two truly made up, and their relationship took a turn for the better. The two had saved each other's lives enough times during that period that, for a while, they facetiously kept up mental tallies of who saved who.

When Naoto died recently, Kallen had been inconsolable for a time. Harry helped her through it. It was at this point they realised that friendship had deepened into love. And Harry knew that, even if he could go home, he would only go there long enough to deal with Voldemort and make sure his friends were all right. The Japan of this world was his home now.

* * *

Some of the classes were boring propaganda, especially history. Though Harry had to admit, at least it was better than Binns droning on and on. He had been brought into Ashford on sufferance, on a scholarship arranged by Milly Ashford's grandfather. And while he had a lot of catching up to do on mundane subjects, Hermione's tutoring in Grimmauld Place helped.

Still, learning about the history of this world was interesting to a degree, once you stripped away the propaganda. The Holy Britannian Empire was born when the Celtic tribes elected a king, Alvin I, to repulse the forces of Julius Caesar. History did have many similarities, but also many differences. For example, in this world, Elizabeth I had a son, Henry IX, though the father was not known. The American Revolution never succeeded because George Washington was betrayed by Benjamin Franklin. The seat of the Britannian Empire was forced to relocate to what was the USA back home because of Napoleon managing to invade the British Isles (Nelson being assassinated before he could fight off the French leader).

As the lesson progressed, they were observing Lelouch. Harry and Kallen, along with Ohgi, had debated with themselves how to approach Lelouch. Lelouch, after all, knew only their codenames, though Kallen couldn't be sure that he didn't see her face, as she had dismounted her Glasgow while getting the energy filler replaced.

Harry decided that they would wait for Lelouch to make the first move. If he tried something stupid like blackmailing them, then Harry and Kallen would deal with him. They'd agreed that if Lelouch had used that Geass thing on them, hopefully, one of them would be free to try and snap the other out of it.

During lunch, as the pair of them ate on the roof, Lelouch did indeed make the first move, joining them there, sitting down next to them. They tensed up, ready for a fight, but Lelouch merely calmly ate his lunch. Then, he finally dropped the bombshell. "Warlock and Tsunade, I presume?"

Kallen tensed, ready to attack, while Harry got ready to get his wand out. "K-1, I presume?" Harry asked.

Lelouch turned to them, before nodding. "You had the advantage on me, Harry Potter, knowing my name. However, I recognised Kallen's voice, and I saw her briefly when she was replacing the energy filler for her Glasgow. It took me until I came to class to put two and two together, admittedly. She's a good actress, and good at making herself inconspicuous. You, however, I have been studying for a long time, or rather, your alter ego. When I first heard of Warlock, I found myself curious. I'm not the only one dedicated to studying Warlock, true, but I'm perhaps the only one here who made the connection. It was mostly supposition based on body language and speech patterns. That, and the fact that Warlock only appeared shortly after you enrolled. Circumstantial evidence, admittedly, but made stronger by Kallen's presence in Shinjuku. Incidentally, Harry, thank you for saving Suzaku. He's an old friend of mine."

"…Even though he's working with the Britannian Military now? Not to mention he was piloting that damned Knightmare Frame?"

"Was he? Clovis must've been desperate to allow even an Honorary Britannian to pilot an experimental Knightmare," Lelouch mused. "Numbers from any Area are not well thought of by Britannians in general, as you doubtless know." He scoffed quietly. "Numbers…what a bad joke of an appellation. I still call you Japanese, not Elevens or Numbers."

"Good," Kallen said, glaring at Lelouch.

"Where's CC?" Harry asked.

"Safe, in my rooms. If you want to meet her, we'll do so discreetly. So…you know who I really am. Why did you research me?"

Harry and Kallen looked at each other, before Kallen said, "It was something Harry brought up when we were being taught about history, particularly recent history. He saw the connection between your alias and your mother's maiden name. I'm surprised it's held up until now."

"That's because we were declared dead, and the Ashford family have spent time and effort trying to ensure our anonymity. And make no mistake, either of you. While I will tolerate threats to my own person, I will never tolerate them to Nunnally. Threaten her at your peril."

Harry recoiled at Lelouch's vehemence, but glared back. "And Kallen, along with her friends, are not your chess pieces, K-1. And neither am I. I will not be moved around a board blindly on your say-so, and Kallen wouldn't either. And if you use that Geass or whatever the hell it is on either of us…"

Lelouch held his hands up. "Very well. I will use it if there's a threat to my person or Nunnally's, make no mistake. How many in your group knows about it?"

"Sensei and Jiraiya," Harry said. "They also know your true identity. We haven't told the others, though. Some of them are idiotic enough to try and kidnap you and hold you to ransom."

"A spectacularly bad idea," Lelouch scoffed. "My father disowned my sister and myself after my mother's death. I demanded to know why there had been no progress in finding her killer, and he rebuked me. I renounced the throne, and, well, he sent Nunnally and I to Japan as political hostages…knowing full well that he would invade before long. We were sent there to die. But before the invasion, many Japanese treated the pair of us far better than many at court would have. Especially Nunnally. Blind, crippled, gentle…she would have been, at best, an object of pity and contempt, and at worst, killed to support the Social Darwinism my father and his cronies espouse. No, my father would just tell you to do your worst, and then retaliate once we were dead…or just retaliate anyway, and to hell with collateral damage. I helped yesterday because I couldn't stand to see innocent people being slaughtered."

Harry and Kallen winced at the reminder. While many of the inhabitants of Shinjuku managed to make it to safety before Clovis demanded a ceasefire, dozens were dead, unable or unwilling to leave before the Britannians launched their purge. Ohgi had taken it particularly hard. Their cell had made a concerted effort to avoid civilians getting caught up in their operations, even Britannian civilians, and yet, yesterday happened.

"So, what now?" Kallen asked.

"…How about dinner?"

* * *

Kallen occasionally had dinner at the Ashford Academy when she didn't want to deal with either her biological mother (whom she had mixed feelings about), or her stepmother (who was a bitch, plain and simple). They accepted Lelouch's invitation warily, making sure to send a message to Ohgi to let him know what was happening.

They had met Nunnally before in passing, the petite girl with the light brown hair and perpetually closed eyes, confined to a wheelchair. For all Kallen's understandable antipathy towards the Britannians, even she couldn't help but like Nunnally, and Harry shared that. With them was CC, who called herself Cecilia (Lelouch had complained that, the moment he brought her back, she nicked his credit card and began ordering pizzas). There was also a Japanese maid, Sayoko, though Harry and Kallen were wary. There was something watchful about the Japanese maid.

After dinner, after some small talk was made, the four who had been in Shinjuku made their way to Lelouch's bedroom, CC chewing idly on a pizza. "So, why bring us here?" Harry asked.

"To talk in a less exposed area," Lelouch said. "I sweep for bugs daily. Milly Ashford has a bad habit of sneaking cameras and microphones, hoping to catch someone in the process of doing something salacious." He sighed. "She's a good friend, but she's also something of a pervert. I've heard she'll be bringing you into the Student Council, Kallen, as she knows of your so-called weakness, and as every student must attend at least one club, she wanted to spare you being in a sports club. She knows about this meeting, but thinks it's about bringing you into the Student Council."

"So, how did you manage to get Clovis to agree to the ceasefire?" Kallen said, folding her arms. "Your Geass?"

"No. I held him at gunpoint. I used the Geass for a more personal matter." The exiled prince fixed them with his gaze. "I thought he may have had information regarding my mother's death, as I believe it may have been one of the Royal Family, perhaps someone with links to my father. The Emperor seemed unconcerned with the death of a woman who had been one of his favourite consorts. Clovis knew little, but he claimed two of my other siblings may have knowledge."

Harry frowned. From what he knew of the positions of the Royal Family, he could hazard a guess. "Schneizel and Cornelia, at a guess. Schneizel already had a lot of authority back then, and Cornelia also did security for your family."

Lelouch nodded. "Correct. Clovis claimed that Schneizel took possession of the body, and Cornelia investigated the death until she was told to stop. I doubt that Cornelia was responsible: for all her ruthlessness, she loved my mother, not to mention myself and Nunnally."

"…You killed Clovis afterwards," Kallen said. It was not a question.

But to their surprise, Lelouch laughed bleakly. "I didn't. While I wished to, CC had a better claim. Harry witnessed her ability to heal from a fatal wound."

The green-haired girl nodded. "I am immortal, for want of a better term. Even if you were able to vaporise me, I would regenerate from subatomic particles. Clovis wanted the secret of immortality from me, in a desire to gain it himself and thus sit upon the throne forever." Her golden eyes met Harry and Kallen's own. "I have died many times during my existence, and had thought I had experienced all the horrors life could inflict on myself and others. I have been burned alive at the stake, tortured by the Inquisition, been shot, stabbed, torn apart, crushed, and drowned. But what Clovis inflicted on me over the past few years was absolute hell."

"Sounds like he'd get along well with Voldemort," Harry muttered.

"Flight of Death?" Lelouch asked.

"Never mind. So, you killed him, CC?" Harry asked. When the green-haired girl nodded, Harry exhaled. "Crap. I mean, it's good that he's dead, but there's a problem now that he is."

"Who'll take his place," Kallen concluded.

"For the time being, it will probably be one of the Purists," Lelouch said. "Probably Margrave Gottwald. The problem is, he'll need a scapegoat to blame for Clovis' death…"

"Leaving that aside, Lelouch…remember when you left Villetta Nu with me? I questioned her, and I stumbled across something interesting. The reason he joined the Purists was partly because he thought the Japanese responsible for you and Nunnally's deaths," Harry said. "I then asked her what he would do if he found out you were still alive. He apparently, according to her, would swear immediate loyalty to you, and she would join."

"Would he, now?" Lelouch mused. "In any case, Gottwald would only be an interim Viceroy. In all likelihood, they would eventually send Cornelia, though she would have to expedite her assignment to the Middle East. And unlike Clovis, she is no fool." He steepled his fingers, before looking up. "I was planning on doing this alone, but our mutual knowledge of our secrets puts the three of us in a delicate position. I could potentially use the Geass to put you under my control, or else erase your memories of this. But…your group has potential as allies. I would rather not start an alliance by doing so unless I had to."

"To do what, to take your father's throne for yourself?" Kallen remarked acidly.

Lelouch scoffed. "Only if it served my purpose, and I despise and detest that poisonous seat. I intend to destroy Britannia, or rather, the Britannia my father leads. I intend to carve out the cancer at its core. I want…" His features softened. "I want to create a peaceful world for Nunnally. I would gladly become a demon from the very depths of Hell if it meant a happy life for her. Kallen, Harry, don't misunderstand me. I may view combat as a chess game, but I refuse to dispassionately sacrifice those fighting for me. And I will fight alongside you, leading from the front than from behind."

"…Because those who kill must be prepared to be killed?" Harry asked, paraphrasing Lelouch's words yesterday.

Lelouch nodded. "What your group has is Warlock and Tsunade, someone with strange abilities, and one of the best Knightmare Frame Devicers I have ever witnessed. What I have to offer are the funds I have already amassed for my own plans, the power of Geass, intimate knowledge of how our enemy thinks, and how to counter that. I know it is much to ask, but I want your help. Obviously, I cannot expect an answer now, as neither of you lead that group. But I want you to consider it and discuss it."

Harry and Kallen exchanged looks once more, before they turned to Lelouch. "We'll hear you out, Lelouch. Just remember, we're not here to get you your throne," Kallen said. "We're here to take Japan back from your father and his lackeys."

"I understand. Then let's talk further before you have to leave…"

 **CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Harry, Kallen, and Lelouch have met properly and are preparing an alliance. Now, if you're thinking Lelouch is being OOC, consider that circumstances are somewhat different. Harry and Kallen know his lineage and Nunnally's, and Harry knows about the Geass. Therefore, Lelouch is trying a less dramatic approach to recruiting them to his cause. We'll still go through certain stations of canon (Suzaku's scapegoating, Zero's initial meeting and his public debut, etc), but there'll be changes.**

 **I've actually based this version of Lelouch somewhat on that from SeerKing's** ** _Code Geass: The Prepared Rebellion_** **. He's a little more savvy and just a hair less arrogant. Not that much, but the fact that Warlock knew his identity and he got his Geass sooner helped shape things a little. He took a risk revealing his knowledge to Harry and Kallen, but a calculated one, given that they already knew who he was.**

 **Kallen is also a little OOC, but keep in mind, Harry, as a friend, has been a stabilising influence on her. She's not quite as anti-Britannian (or at least anti-all Britannians: her ire is more focussed on the nobility than all Britannians) as she is in canon. Harry has also helped Ohgi's cell actually be a little smarter…though with Tamaki, there's only so much polishing you can do of a turd.**

 **Now, this is the last chapter of the initial batch when this story is first published, though more are to come. But I want to ask a question. I have a few ideas for potential** ** _Code Geass_** **crossover stories with the Potterverse, and I want your opinions as to which one I should do. Of course, whether I do said stories or not is up to me, but I'm curious as to what you guys want. I had considered including a CC pairing with Harry/Kallen while this was in** ** _The Cauldron_** **, but while some people liked it, others did not, and gave good reasons, so I'm abandoning that idea. So, here are the ideas I am mulling around…**

 **1\. Answering my own 'Kallen Potter' challenge. Basically, a female Harry is Kallen challenge. She ended up, thanks to her magic, in the** ** _Code Geass_** **-verse at a young age, and thus has magic. If I do do this, then it will be not unlike my** ** _RWBY_** **crossover** ** _Under the Light of the Shattered Moon_** **, my** ** _Red vs Blue_** **story** ** _Freelancer, Medic, Mage_** **, or my** ** _Fate/Stay Night_** **story** ** _Hadrian Kotomine_** **, where the Potterverse stuff is in the past. Kallen Potter/Lelouch pairing.**

 **2\. A Master of Death Harry ends up in the** ** _Code Geass_** **universe and ends up causing chaos. Eventual Harry/CC pairing. This will be a more humorous fic, if not an outright crackfic, in the mould of my own** ** _Final Fantasy XII_** **crossover** ** _Nitimur in Vetitum_** **, as well as ManMadeofLasers'** ** _Mass Effect_** **crossover** ** _Getting Too Old for This_** **.**

 **3\. A sort of mirror version of this story, but instead of pairing Harry with Kallen, I'm pairing him with Euphemia. Because, let's face it, while Euphie and Suzaku's relationship was kind of sweet, it was probably going to end with Suzaku getting killed out of a combination of his stupidity and his death wish, and Euphie getting heartbroken if it weren't for the Euphienator incident (Suzaku's death coming, potentially, through Cornelia getting overprotective). I'd probably base it on one of two challenges by whitetigerwolf, ones I've used in the past: either the 'Animagus Lover' challenge, or else the 'Drunk Recruit' challenge (the latter having Cornelia discover a hungover Harry in Euphemia's quarters, and basically conscripting him, with the threat of summary execution if he disobeys). Harry will basically be her bodyguard, personal investigator and, albeit secretly, lover.**

 **I'm also giving some small consideration to answering my 'Zero of Ainz Ooal Gown' challenge, which is basically an** ** _Overlord_** **crossover, but done like my Potterverse crossover** ** _Yield to the Darkness_** **, with the** ** _Overlord_** **elements integrated into the** ** _Code Geass_** **universe.**

 **So, thoughts? Like I said, your opinions and wants won't guarantee any of the above stories being written, which is more subject to the vagaries of my muse, but I'd like to hear feedback on which of the ideas you guys like more.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	5. Chapter 4: An Uneasy Alliance

**CHAPTER 4:**

 **AN UNEASY ALLIANCE**

A key maxim when one was part of a resistance movement was that paranoia was when they _weren't_ out to get you. Kallen felt ill at ease about this alliance with Lelouch, but, Britannian royal or not, he had a potentially useful power, and if what Villetta Nu said was true, then Gottwald could be an excellently-placed ally. But Lelouch valued his anonymity, which was partly why Kallen even tentatively agreed to this alliance. If Lelouch betrayed them, then they could make it a pyrrhic victory of mutually assured destruction.

True to form, they were invited to the Student Council. Kallen and Harry had had dealings with them before, more Harry than Kallen, as Harry had to fetch homework for her to keep her cover of chronic illness, and Milly organised it. He became effectively a de facto member of the Student Council, though it was mostly acting as a gofer. Of the members, he knew Nina and Milly best.

Kallen pitied the shy green-haired girl. For all her xenophobia, it was born from overwhelming fear rather than contempt or hatred, and Kallen understood that, especially when she heard of Nina's bad encounters with the more extreme elements of the Japanese people. She was glad Harry had tried to reach out to her and tried to change her mind about the Japanese…and was glad that Nina Einstein wasn't competition for being a girlfriend. Apparently Nina was more into girls than boys.

In any case, Harry and Kallen were welcomed into the Student Council, and after a near-miss with a bottle of champagne wielded by Rivalz (the only other boy there besides Lelouch and Harry), they got down to business. Harry flatly told Milly to avoid groping his girlfriend, as he knew her reputation by now. Milly complained that he was no fun.

A little later, Lelouch asked to meet with Kallen and Harry, and they did so on the roof during a break. "I've discovered one limitation of Geass," he said. "I tried using it twice on a teacher, asking about upcoming assessment. It only works once, as long as I maintain the power and eye contact."

"…So, you can only use it once?" Kallen asked.

"Villetta proved that, as long as I leave a command phrase as a sort of backdoor, or tell her to await further orders, it counts as once, even if I break eye contact," Lelouch said. "Once that time is up, the person is immune to my Geass…though CC told me there are other Geass users. She wasn't forthcoming, but she mentioned one power to read thoughts, amongst others, so there are many possible powers. I began asking her about possible negative effects…and eventually, she admitted that there is a very real possibility that my Geass could become permanently activated, something called Runaway Geass."

"That's…disturbing," Harry said.

Lelouch nodded. "If that happens, then a wrong remark at the wrong time could cause problems, to say the least. I'm telling you this to be prepared for the worst case scenario. When I first gained the power, I…had what I would call a hallucination, at least at first. CC spoke of gaining Geass as part of a contract with her, to give her something she desires, though she hasn't been forthcoming. I also saw what I thought was my father, saying something about a legend beginning again and a Ragnarok Convergence, whatever that is. A deal with the devil…or a witch, anyway. Speaking of magic…how did you get those abilities, Harry?"

Harry had discussed something of his powers last night. Only a few specifics were discussed, as Harry and Kallen were still wary of Lelouch, but the Britannian prince had already witnessed some of them. "Hereditary. Though to be honest, I'm the only actual wizard left, as far as I know. It's not Geass. You wouldn't believe the details if I told you."

"Even with CC and Geass?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm. One day I'd like to hear the story anyway, believable or not. CC was intrigued by you, too. I wish she would refrain from using my credit card to order pizzas, though…"

"…What about Gottwald?" Kallen asked.

"I need to find a way to contact him covertly," Lelouch said. "Probably through Villetta. If he is sincere about his loyalty…well, I'll have to meet him face to face to be sure, to get the truth out of him via Geass."

"You said you could only use that once," Harry pointed out. "Is it worth wasting it?"

"If he proves to be sincere, then we gain an ally. If not…then I'll turn him into a mole just like Villetta," Lelouch said coldly. "I refuse to waste this power on petty matters if I can help it. If it only works once, then I have to make that one time count. Also, I'll probably need to emulate you to some degree, Harry. If I am going to be working with a Japanese rebel cell, then I'll need to conceal my identity."

Harry nodded. While his face was known to Ohgi's cell, the wider Japanese public would not accept him with his Caucasian features. Kallen and Naoto had already been known, so they didn't have a problem, but part of the reason Harry adopted the mask and persona of Warlock was to prevent the Japanese they helped from getting suspicious. True, he used the English word 'warlock' rather than the Japanese equivalents, but many Japanese were forced to learn English if they wanted any kind of work outside their ghetto, and Japan had used many English words in the language before the invasion.

"So, you're going to plagiarise me?" Harry asked.

A faint smile touched Lelouch's lips. "Call it…inspiration. After all, theatricality and deception are potent weapons. Depending on how events proceed, I'll ask to meet your cell under my new persona. I'm already convinced you two are good allies, but the others…terrorism and insurgency are mere fleabites to Britannia. You do better than most by deliberately avoiding civilian casualties, yesterday's massacre notwithstanding, but overthrowing the regime here is but the beginning, even if you can manage it. Especially when you have others waiting in the wings to exploit the situation, like vultures circling a corpse. The Europeans and the Chinese, especially the latter. You don't want to free Japan from one tyranny only to have it fall to another."

Kallen nodded. "We're not stupid…well, unless you count Tamaki. I swear…he's an excellent mechanic, but that's it. But the rest of the groups…you rarely hear anything from Tohdoh after his so-called Miracle, the rest of the JLF are apparently bickering amongst themselves, the Yamato Alliance are flaky, and I'm sure more than a few are in the pockets of the Chinese. And my brother told me that all they'd want is the sakuradite reserves, not freedom for the Japanese. We're just pawns on the international stage." This last sentence was spoken in a bitter tone.

"One thing you forget about pawns, Kallen," Lelouch said. "If one makes it all the way to the other end of the board, it can become any piece it wants, even a Queen."

"Very poetic," Harry snarked.

After a moment, Lelouch looked at Harry. "Harry…I'd like to ask a favour. Do you know anything that you can do to help my sister?"

"Nunnally?"

"Yes. I'm not sure how good your magic is for healing, but…you've seen her. Paralysed and blind. I don't know whether you could cure either of those but…if you can, I would appreciate it."

"I can't heal paralysis, not from an injury, and she got it years ago, didn't she?" Lelouch nodded. "What about her eyes?"

"I don't know. One doctor claimed it was a form of psychogenic blindness, as her brain and eyes are normal, but she can't see, so she keeps her eyes closed to avoid damaging her eyes," Lelouch said.

"I can't promise anything," Harry said. "But I'll try…"

* * *

It was later in the afternoon when they managed to get to Nunnally. Harry had to admit, it was cruel of the Emperor to use this sweet little girl as a political pawn. He carefully used his wand, Lelouch watching like a hawk, while Kallen watched Lelouch, and Sayoko watched them all, as did an intrigued CC. Harry had been introduced as a variant of a _reiki_ healer to Nunnally and Sayoko. Harry frowned as his scans revealed a strange signature. Not quite magic, but still detected. After a moment, on an impulse, he murmured, " _Finite_."

Nunnally gasped sharply, her eyes, violet like Lelouch's, fluttering open. She rubbed them, blinking in the light, and then stared at Lelouch. "…Big brother?" she asked.

"…Nunnally," Lelouch breathed, before gathering her up in a hug.

* * *

Lelouch ran a hand through his hair shortly afterwards, Nunnally carted off by Sayoko. "Words can't describe what I feel, Harry. Even if you can't help her walk, helping her see is another matter. I cannot thank you enough."

"Well, that's the thing," Harry said, tapping his wand against his palm. "That spell I used? _Finite Incantatem_. It removes spells that are already present. What I felt wasn't quite magic…but it was close enough that I decided to try it. There was something supernatural causing Nunnally to be blind."

"…I think I know what it is," CC said. "Someone has probably used a Geass on her, making her believe that she was blind." She turned her golden eyes to Harry. "If I am right, you've managed to cancel the ability of a Geass, Harry Potter…and that makes you very dangerous indeed."

"To you?"

"Hardly," CC said. "I am immune to Geass…and I cannot use one either."

"…Have you ever?" Kallen asked.

"Sharp, aren't you? It's a long story, and one that I am not inclined to recount. I cannot use Geass, and I am immune to it. I can only grant the ability to people I make a contract with. Each person has a unique Geass, based on their deepest, personal desires, whether they be conscious or unconscious. They may be similar to other Geasses, but have differences."

"…And are there others like you?" Lelouch asked.

"One other, that I know of. If he makes himself known, I will let you know what I know."

"Uh, excuse me?" Harry asked, fighting down a sudden burst of anger. "Sorry, _no_. I'm not playing the 'need to know' game, I've done that before, and I am sick of playing it. If this other immortal can threaten Kallen and the others…"

"You're beneath VV's notice at the moment," CC said. "But if you ever do meet a boy of about pre-teen years with blonde hair going down to the ground…well, that is VV."

"…You immortals have weird bloody aliases, you know that?" Harry said flatly, Kallen snickering.

CC just returned a flat look to the wizard. "I am here mostly to protect my contractor, namely Lelouch, until he fulfils his side of our contract. Of course, while I do not grant the power of Geass lightly, if either of you desired it, I would give it to you, in exchange for you fulfilling my desire."

"And what is your desire?" Kallen asked. "A lifetime supply of pizzas?"

CC shot another flat look at the redhead. "You wouldn't be able to give it to me, until a certain point. Make no mistake, if you choose to make a contract, the power of whatever Geass you gain will isolate you. It could even have side-effects that alienate you from your friends and allies. Lelouch spoke to you about Runaway Geass, no doubt. If you gained a Geass of your own, you run the risk of that yourself."

"I'm not sure I need Geass," Harry said. "I have magic."

"And I'm wary of this Runaway Geass thing," Kallen added. "And I'm still not sure whether to trust you, CC. Clovis' guinea pig or not, I know there's a lot you're not telling us."

"Girl, of course there is. I have lived for centuries. I have fought by the side of Jeanne d'Arc and George Washington. There is a lot I could tell you, but won't. We have only just met, and we'd be here for the rest of your lives. Besides, trust issues go both ways. You two may have helped save me from Clovis, for which I am grateful, but I have been burned by people I thought to be friends before. On one occasion, very literally."

"Then we'll wait. I want to think things through," Kallen said.

Harry nodded. "Lelouch saw what she could do with an old Glasgow held together with duct tape and fury. All Kallen needs is something better."

"Speaking of which, you said that Suzaku was the one piloting that new one," Kallen said. "What happened to him?"

"He's probably still with Asplund," Lelouch said, before smirking. "If the rumours I have heard about the Earl of Pudding's eccentricities are correct, I do not envy him…"

* * *

It was that evening, when gathered with the other members of the Student Council, that they learned that things had taken a turn for the worse. They were watching the news on a public television, Nunnally using her newly regained eyesight, much to the astonishment of the students, who were crowding her. They were announcing the assassination of Clovis, and Harry and Kallen were forced to school their features. Harry had to admit, Kallen was a better actor than he was. He remembered Snape's sneering about Gryffindors wearing their hearts on their sleeves, and knew the greasy-haired prick was right, not that he'd ever admit it out loud.

Gottwald was making some pompous speech, and while Harry couldn't deny the man's rhetoric, he still felt ill at ease at the thought of Gottwald becoming an ally. Still, that was up to Lelouch.

But then, they made an announcement that shocked everyone present, even Lelouch. They had announced that they had the assassin in custody. Even before they announced the name, Harry knew it was just some idiot they had brought in as a scapegoat, but when he saw who it was, he knew things had gone really shitty for someone.

For the Purist Faction's scapegoat was none other than Suzaku Kururugi.

 **CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Harry, Lelouch, Kallen and CC are circling each other warily. But what's this? Nunnally has regained her eyesight? Can magic affect Geass?**

 **Now, before I get onto answering the reviews, I'd like to say that I am grateful for the feedback, for the most part. I am disappointed that there were few wanting me to answer my own 'Kallen Potter' challenge, but as I have posted that idea as a public challenge, anyone who wants to write that particular idea is free to do so. Just let me know if you want to write it (it's posted on the forums of DZ2 and whitetigerwolf, if you need to find it). Frankly, we can do with more Potterverse crossovers with** ** _Code Geass_** **, especially those bigger than 10K words.**

 **That being said, there was a lot of support for ideas 2 and 3. Now, if I do write stories based on those ideas (and unlike the 'Kallen Potter' challenge, I want to write them myself if possible, so they're** **not** **open to you guys to write), it won't be for a while, so keep that in mind. For the Harry/CC story, I need to figure out a way to derail the story without royally screwing things up too much, and that means watching more of the series.**

 **For the Harry/Euphemia story, I've decided to go with the 'Animagus Lover' challenge, but I also want to watch more of the series to try and get a better handle on how I would do things. I'm actually strongly considering having Harry and Euphie elope from Britannia after Harry persuades Euphie of, well, the fact that what her sister does is wrong. Because, really, I can't see Harry getting along well with Cornelia at all, though I did consider a story briefly with such a pairing. Unless the two met much earlier in their lives, anyway.**

 **Finally, to date, there are eight chapters of this story written, with a ninth mostly complete. Once this initial run of chapters is complete, there may be a wait on later chapters. Why? Because I have only watched the series up to the seventh episode, the one involving Saitama. I don't want to write too far ahead of my experience of the show, as I am relatively new to the series, but once I've watched more episodes, I'll get more chapters out. Hopefully.**

 **Review-answering time!** **Leicontis** **: True, and I may be doing some relatively light Dumbledore bashing when the time comes (I'm not making him evil, just stupidly stubborn, so compared to my usual bashing, that's pretty light), but I think your comparison between Suzaku and Shirou Emiya are a bit unfair. I think Shirou, for all his twisted, vaguely suicidal nature, is nonetheless a far more moral character than Suzaku. Well, than Suzaku is initially.**

 **OBSERVER01** **: I haven't decided…but I am seriously considering having Harry suggest that Lelouch name their merry little band after a certain vigilante group back home. I think it'd be fitting.**

 **DZ2** **: Great to hear from you, though you share a small part of the blame for getting me into** ** _Code Geass_** **. So this is your fault. :P**

 **Guest** **: Thank you very much for your analysis of the ideas. I do think you're missing the point of my 'Kallen Potter' challenge. Kallen may be badass in** ** _Code Geass_** **, but she can be even more so. Plus, with magic, she can be on more of an equal footing with Lelouch. As for Shirley…so far, to me, in the episodes I've watched so far, she's a non-entity to me. I do know she has some plot importance later (her father gets killed by Zero, more or less unintentionally, thanks to what happened at Mount Narita or something, if I recall what I've read), but I actually find her rather boring at best, and irritating at worst. Some characters click with me, and others don't, and frankly, she doesn't. That being said, if anyone else would like to adapt 'Kallen Potter', but with Shirley instead, and they think they can make it work, then be my guest.**

 **Regarding how Euphie would survive being Geassed…well, you've seen how it could potentially happen in this very chapter. And as for my** ** _Overlord/Code Geass_** **challenge (which is open publicly to any takers: look up 'Zero of Ainz Ooal Gown' in the forums of DZ2 and whitetigerwolf for details), you missed the point utterly. If you've read** ** _Yield to the Darkness_** **, then you could see what I'm going for here. Momonga and Lelouch are actually quite similar characters in many regards, so having the denizens of Nazarick as a sort of secret undersociety in the** ** _Code Geass_** **world as in** ** _Yield to the Darkness_** **is actually not a bad idea. It just needs some work integrating it properly.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	6. Chapter 5: Putting on the Mask

**CHAPTER 5:**

 **PUTTING ON THE MASK**

Lelouch had once more brought them back to his quarters in the evening. They hadn't intended to originally, but Suzaku's arrest had changed things. Lelouch had reassured a distraught Nunnally about Suzaku's innocence, before the three of them retired to his bedroom, CC lounging around as usual. "I saw the news," the green-haired immortal said. "It seems that you want to do something."

"The Purist Faction are using Suzaku as a scapegoat," Lelouch said, sitting down at his computer and typing away. "Given the vocal opposition they have had to the Honorary Britannian system, they're framing him…"

"To try and do away with the system," Kallen concluded. "As much as I despise Honorary Britannians, this is disgusting. He's tried to be loyal to them, and they stabbed him in the back."

"Shades of my godfather," Harry said. When Lelouch glanced at him, he clarified, "My godfather was framed for betraying my parents to a dark wizard, as well as killing one of his friends. He spent twelve years in prison. Said prison was guarded by demons that ate happiness and souls."

Lelouch, after a moment, said, "One day, I want to hear your life story. And how I missed the presence of wizards."

"The use of certain Geass powers affect memory, boy," CC remarked. "And wizards could have spells that modify memory to aid in concealing them."

"Yes. But…I'm the only wizard on this world," Harry said.

"Hmm…interesting choice of words, wizard," CC said, raising an eyebrow. " _This world_ , you say."

Lelouch shot Harry another look, before shaking his head. "Another time then. I think it's about time I revealed myself to the rest of your group, albeit in disguise. Can the ones who know my identity be trusted?"

"To the ends of the Earth," Kallen said. "If my brother was still alive…" She shook her head. "But he isn't. Ohgi and Nagata know the meaning of discretion. The others…well, Tamaki, you've seen."

"The one you called 'Baka', Japanese for 'idiot'?"

"It was actually 'Baku', the dream-eating creature," Harry said. "After screwing up, well…he deserved the change. Tamaki talks big, but he can't back it up unless machines are involved."

Lelouch nodded. "I see. Well…I think in the interests of those there, when I reveal myself, I will disclose my power. And you, Harry, will disclose that your magic can disable it. I assume it can, anyway. That should help reassure them. I won't reveal my identity, obviously, just those two details."

"And what then?" Kallen asked. "Are we rescuing your friend?"

"Yes. Suzaku has changed since I last met, and not necessarily for the better, but he is my friend, and maybe his becoming a scapegoat has shaken his view in becoming an Honorary Britannian, making him a potential ally. In any case, even if their scapegoat wasn't someone I knew personally, I didn't intend to stand idly by and do nothing but dither. Not when I have Geass."

"A Geass ex Machina, if you will," CC interjected.

"Silence from the peanut gallery," Harry said.

"I'm more the pizza gallery," CC retorted.

"I'll contact you two when I am ready. It'll be a few days before they take Suzaku to what is doubtless a kangaroo court, and they'll parade him along the way there, so I'll find a way to contact Gottwald in the meantime. Regardless of whether he agrees to work with me or not, I intend to sow discord amongst the Purist Faction, and make them turn on each other, thus ensuring that when the new Viceroy comes, they can't use them. Cornelia is the most likely choice, but there are other possibilities," Lelouch mused. "We'll have some leeway before Cornelia ends up in Japan, as she is currently conquering the Middle East."

"How good is she at strategy?" Harry asked. "Is she really so good? I mean, they call her the Goddess of Victory."

"She's better than Clovis, though he sets the bar pretty low. Cornelia is more experienced with dealing with overt combat, not guerrilla warfare," Lelouch said. "That being said…underestimating her has brought overconfident rebels down before. What's more, she's utterly ruthless. Using hostages against her would be useless, as she'd be willing to sacrifice the hostages to kill the terrorists. Well, unless they were lucky to get a hold of Euphie. Cornelia would do anything for her. Cornelia was one of the few siblings I actually liked, and truth be told, I think there's still something there of who she was. But she will be our enemy…"

* * *

Over the next few days, Lelouch was clearly being active, doing things in preparation for his debut. Eventually, he contacted Kallen and Harry with instructions, to come to the Old Tokyo Tower, along with some of their comrades. Because they weren't in the ghetto, Harry could remain unmasked, but Harry kept the items on him. Ohgi, Nagata and Tamaki were chosen.

The Old Tokyo Tower has a museum, with part of it dedicated to the invasion, albeit with the story heavily skewed towards Britannia, claiming Japan to be uncivilised prior to this. Harry snorted. True, he knew Japan did some nasty things in the Second World War back home, and it wasn't dissimilar here, but Japan had changed after that. They were a First World country in most regards before Britannia attacked.

Harry was already sick of Britannian patriotism for the day, given the memorial service they had to endure earlier. So he was glad when the burner phone they had gotten for communications with Lelouch buzzed, and she opened it up, frowning. "He's sent an SMS. He's on the outbound train on Loop 5."

They soon embarked on that very train, and as they moved in, Harry and Kallen looked at the passengers. Harry noticed that they seemed to not even notice they were there, and a faint red glow, barely noticeable, emanated from their eyes. Geass, Harry thought. He remembered a similar glow when Lelouch ordered that soldier to commit suicide, and in hindsight, he saw the same thing in Villetta Nu's eyes.

The phone trilled, and Kallen answered it. "Hello?" she asked quietly. Then, after listening to whatever Lelouch had to say, she turned to the right and looked out of the window, at the city in the afternoon light. "I see the Britannian Settlement. Built on our blood, sweat and tears, stolen from us." Then, after a moment, she looked out to the left. "The ghetto. The remnants of our city after the Britannians sucked us dry." Then, she nodded after listening to Lelouch, before she hung up, and turned to the others. "He's waiting for us in the next car."

"And why the fuck won't you tell us who he is?" Tamaki demanded.

"Because he has every reason to conceal his identity," Harry snapped.

They went through into the next carriage, and they saw a cloaked, helmeted figure standing at the end. Tamaki made his demands, but the figure didn't turn around until after the train plunged into a tunnel, the lights snapping off as well, whirling around, revealing a dark uniform, somewhere between military and nobility, wrapped by the dark, high-shouldered cloak. The helmet had an eerily blank panel in the front. Harry had to admit, Lelouch had a flair for the dramatic. " _Tsunade, Sensei, Warlock, Jiraiya…and Baka_ …"

"Baku!" Tamaki snapped.

" _My apologies_ ," Lelouch said insincerely, his voice warped by a vocoder. " _Call me Zero._ "

"So, you were the one behind the ceasefire," Ohgi said.

" _Indeed. I did not kill Clovis, but I would have pulled the trigger myself had it not been for someone with a prior claim_ ," Lelouch said. " _Kururugi was not the assassin, though doubtless Tsunade and Warlock have relayed that to you. In any case, did you appreciate the tour? Of the settlement and the ghetto?_ "

"Tour?" Ohgi asked in understandable bemusement.

" _I wanted you to appreciate the differences between you and the Britannians. I'm sure you already do, a wide gap that spurs you to resist them. But mere terrorism and rebellion will not defeat Britannia. They're like flea-bitings, a nuisance at best._ "

"Stop treating us like kids!" Tamaki snapped.

Harry rolled his eyes. Kallen and Ohgi understood this, and so did Harry. " _Then listen to me. Your enemy is not the Britannian people, but Britannia itself, the ideology embodied by Charles zi Britannia! You are fighting a_ _ **war**_ _, against a world-spanning empire, and its twisted ideals. The civilians of either side are not your targets, though I know you avoid them anyway._ "

"It's still easy for you to say, 'Zero'," Kallen said. "It's one thing to resist Britannia, but it's another to wage war against them, especially without involving the innocent."

"And we wouldn't trust someone who doesn't show their face," Tamaki sneered. "These guys know who you are, but I don't."

" _I will not show my face, but I will show you my power_ ," Lelouch said. " _Warlock and Tsunade persuaded me to be frank with you in that regard. Warlock is not the only one with powers. Recently, I gained powers of my own, the power of Geass. The passengers behind you, I have used that power on. That is why they ignored you. It allows for an absolute command that must be obeyed, but one that can only be used once._ "

"Then how can we trust you?!" Tamaki snapped. "You could brainwash us!"

"Because, Baka," Harry retorted, "I can nullify it. I discovered that by accident. If it helps, I can use _Finite_ on you on a regular basis. So, in other words, unless Zero commands me to not do it…"

" _Exactly. In any case, the others know of my true identity, and that is another of the checks and balances between us_ ," Lelouch said. " _But enough of that. If Shinjuku wasn't enough to convince you of my bona fides, then how about rescuing Suzaku Kururugi? Even with the power of Geass, it would be a tricky proposition, especially if I do it during the little parade they intend to do. For I intend to make that my public debut. I cannot demand that all of you help me, but I would like the help of at least two of you._ "

"Have you two agreed to help him?" Nagata asked, looking at Harry and Kallen.

"Not yet," Harry said. "But…if it weren't for Zero, Shinjuku would have become more of a bloodbath than it already was. I'm going along with it, for now. Besides, Zero owes me a debt."

" _Indeed. A personal debt. He helped someone very dear to me_ ," Lelouch said. " _I try to pay my debts, and indeed, I owe one to Japan. Make no mistake, though. Japan as you know it is dead, its culture in ruins. But it can be reborn, not the same as it once was, but better, like a phoenix from the ashes_ …"

* * *

After more discussion (and arguments from Tamaki, who had reluctantly conceded that Zero had shown some trust in discussing his power), they made their separate ways. However, shortly afterwards, Harry's burner phone trilled, and he answered it. "Yes?"

" _How did you like my performance?_ " Lelouch's voice came through.

"Too much ham for my liking, and you stole my schtick. But thanks for being frank. I've had it up to here with people being secretive around me."

" _Hmm. Keep in mind, there will be times when I keep information from you, but that will be on a case by case basis. Tomorrow will be a national day of mourning for Clovis, and school will be out. Anyone willing to help should come to the junkyard I mentioned at the end of our meeting._ "

"…What about the two you were going to talk to?"

" _Ah, yes. That was a success, actually. They'll play along with the little farce I am scripting._ "

"Can you trust them?"

" _Certainly the superior_ ," Lelouch said. " _I've confirmed what you found out. As for the woman we met…I'm not so sure, but she will follow her superior's lead. We'll discuss this further tomorrow_ …"

* * *

The next day, Kallen, Harry and Ohgi came early in the morning. Nagata had decided to hold down the fort for now. Lelouch, in his Zero outfit, was perched on top of a rusting car in the junkyard. " _None of the others came? Disappointing, true, but I couldn't expect your group to follow my lead on little more than what I said_ ," Lelouch said.

"How can three of us…four of us rescue Suzaku?" Ohgi asked. "Warlock can probably do some of it with his abilities, but…"

" _We won't be monitored here, I am certain of it_ ," Lelouch said, before hopping off the car. He removed his mask. "And I am told you already know of me, Kaname Ohgi."

"Lelouch Lamperouge," Ohgi said. "Or rather, Lelouch vi Britannia…exiled prince."

Lelouch nodded. "Then you understand why I cannot expose my identity so readily to your comrades. Being Britannian is bad enough, but royalty would be a death sentence. I took a gamble exposing my ability to use Geass. But I have my sister to think of. Now, follow me please."

"How are we going to do this?" Harry asked as they walked through the junkyard. "I mean, I presume you're going to turn up and make a scene and find a way to save Suzaku, which I personally think is a mistake."

"He is, or at least was, my friend, fool that he may have become, and he tried pleading for my life against those bastards in Clovis' Royal Guard." Lelouch shook his head. "I'd rather he not die because the Purists decided to make him a scapegoat. It's another to fight him in battle, though. Which reminds me, I'll have to try and find out what I can about the Knightmare Frame he used. Camelot is under the aegis of my brother Schneizel, with the Earl of Pudding the chief of the branch here in Japan. I'll need to also find if there's some way of creating a Knightmare Frame that can counter it, for Kallen to pilot it, given her prodigious skill. To fight in a refurbished Glasgow against a Sutherland piloted by the likes of Gottwald is no mean feat. But to the plan." They had come to a vehicle, somewhere between a truck and a luxury car, and a domed metal container. "Tell me," Lelouch said, gesturing, "what do you see there?"

"A lemon of a truck and…is it me, or does that look like the poison gas capsule, the one CC was in?"

"It is. I Geassed a towing company to bring it here. The truck was chosen because, with some modifications and repairs, it can look like this."

Lelouch proffered a photo, and Kallen snorted. "Isn't that Clovis' pimpmobile?" She was referring to the combination of truck and luxury car that Clovis would either perch on top of a platform to wave to adoring crowds, or else drive in like a limo.

Lelouch blinked, and then looked at it, before snickering. "Pimpmo…hahahaha! No, but in all due seriousness, it is a similar make and model to Clovis'…ahem, 'pimpmobile'." He looked at Harry. "Your magic, can it repair mechanical objects?"

"It can't substitute for missing parts, but some defective ones and structural problems can be repaired almost instantly," Harry said. "It's partly how we managed to refurbish that Glasgow. The rest was Tamaki. Believe it or not, he's a good mechanic."

"Good, that'll save time. We need this vehicle capable of running safely, the interior doesn't need to be fixed as much," Lelouch said. "But we need to paint it to look like Clovis' personal transport. Do you have spells for that too?"

"No."

"Well, it can't be all so easy. I brought along paint and as many photos of the original as I could find," Lelouch said. "I've also brought along certain mechanisms to be fitted for effect. I intend to rig the capsule with fireworks as a distraction to get away. The way I see it, our duties during this will be such. Harry and I will be the main event, standing together on the platform in front of the capsule, which will be concealed until I am ready. Kallen, you can drive the car. Ohgi, I need you on standby for a quick getaway."

"I can Apparate us all out of there," Harry said. On Lelouch's look, Harry said, "Teleporting. Remember how I said I dealt with the Knightmare Frame Suzaku used? And I'm sure you saw me appearing on those tracks."

Lelouch nodded. "Good idea. Still, better to have multiple contingencies, and we may need you to get Suzaku to safety quickly. Even with Gottwald and Villetta Nu on our side, things may go south. What I intend to do to press the issue is to target Kewell. He's another Purist, and an ambitious one at that. I will threaten to expose a fictitious incident from his past, and use Geass to make it seem like I had succeeded in cowing him into handing Suzaku over. I was going to use it on Gottwald earlier before you mentioned his loyalty to my mother. I was going to allude to something called 'Orange'."

"Why Orange?" Ohgi asked.

"Gottwald is from Florida, known for orange groves," Lelouch said with a smirk.

"Is CC not helping?" Harry asked.

"She said that she wanted to see if I could do this without help from her. Plus, she said she wanted to eat pizza while watching the fireworks on TV," Lelouch said. "She said she has every confidence in my abilities, and yours."

Harry rolled his eyes. He was going to get answers from CC before long, one way or another. He had to put up with this shit from Dumbledore. Still…there was something about what was coming tonight that appealed to the Marauders' blood inside him. Playing a massive prank on the Britannians, and particularly the Purist Faction…he was going to enjoy this…

 **CHAPTER 5 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Suzaku's going to have to be rescued. And a warlock and a demon are going to work together to save him…**

 **Review-answering time! I've answered most of them in correspondence, so I'll only answer a few. I'm gratified at the response to Harry being able to nullify the Geass, as I thought of that while trying to think of a way to avoid a certain incident later in the series…namely, the Euphienator incident. Because, let's face it, Euphie deserves better. Oh, things will still go south, but the odds of Euphie making it out alive will be much better…**

 **Shadowdragis** **: I generally watch dubs as opposed to subs anyway, more as a personal preference, as I'd prefer not to have to look at the subtitles all the time. I do occasionally like comparing the original Japanese voices to the English ones, but I generally prefer watching dubs…unless said dub is egregiously awful.**

 **Reishin Amara** **: I only barely know something about** ** _Rick and Morty_** **, so no. Not gonna happen. Though speaking of crack pairings, I do have one intriguing idea for a hilarious non-Potterverse crossover with** ** _Code Geass_** **…and a potential immortal pairing for CC. "HEY KIDS, WANNA SEE A DEAD BODY?!"**

 **DZ2** **: With CC, she's going to be a little more forthcoming with information. Not that much, but more than in canon. She won't be admitting her involvement in Charles' little conspiracy until later, but she will eventually divulge something of Mao, and agree to keep him away if he appears. As for Finite affecting the Geass, it can only affect Geass that has a continuing effect on the mind of those targeting it. So he can't do anything against Mao, who reads minds automatically, but, to my knowledge, can't actually control them, and he can't do anything against Rolo's ability. Ditto Bismarck's vector sensing, or whatever it is. Charles' memory manipulations and Lelouch's ability to control someone utterly are other matters entirely.**

 **davidteague3950** **: I'm pretty sure that the one you're thinking of, where he exposes his face, is** ** _The Demon's Pride_** **by The SaintsFollower. But you are right. I am considering having Lelouch expose his true face to the Black Knights (well, that's what they're called in canon: I've already thought of a new name for them) either just before or shortly after the Lake Kawaguchi incident.**

 **Guest** **: Harry is a decent enough Knightmare Frame pilot, but not at close combat. I'll consider having him use a specialised Knightmare later in the story. Give me time to watch more episodes before I make a decision. He's actually at his best at ground level. And he is half-decent with wandless magic, though he's more likely to use a Silencing Charm on her first, just in case. And I understand your objections to that challenge, but they can be worked around with a modicum of effort, IMO. And I will strongly consider pairing Lelouch off with Milly for those reasons.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	7. Chapter 6: A Warlock, a Demon, a Soldier

**CHAPTER 6:**

 **A WARLOCK, A DEMON, A SOLDIER AND A PRINCESS**

It was the evening of the operation to rescue Suzaku. As they travelled in the currently concealed canopy on top of the faux-'pimpmobile', Harry looked at Lelouch, who was sweating a little. "Stage fright?"

"Perhaps. It's one thing to make a debut in front of a small group of mostly unarmed people…and quite another to do so in public, with Knightmare Frames and soldiers ready to turn me into gouda cheese." A rather pained smirk came across Lelouch's features. "But we've come too far to turn back. You've ever been in a situation like this before?"

"I was in a magical tournament meant for older students, fighting a dragon. I had to fight the man who murdered my parents at least three times. I had to kill a snake that could kill me at a glance before I was thirteen. You tell me."

Lelouch chuckled. "Well…when we get out of this, I am going to demand that you tell me what your life was like. And don't think I don't remember what you let slip before, about another world."

Their radios crackled, and Kallen's voice came through. " _Zero, Warlock, we're approaching the targets._ "

"Got it, Tsunade," Harry said. His girlfriend was currently wearing a chauffeur's uniform, though the cap had a visor that, while fashionable, also concealed her upper face. The two teenagers stood, placing their respective masks on their faces.

" _Showtime_ ," Lelouch murmured.

Soon, the transport came to a halt, and they heard Gottwald, playing his role to a tee, yell over a bullhorn, " _You dare insult His Highness' memory with his transport? Show yourselves!_ "

Lelouch brought his foot down on a pedal, one of a couple in the canopy. A hidden mechanism burned away the flag concealing it, revealing Zero and Warlock in all their glory.

As the crowd murmured, Lelouch declared, "I AM ZERO!"

Not to be outdone, Harry declared, "AND I AM WARLOCK!"

It was actually quite clever, the alias 'Zero', as clichéd as it was. Lelouch justified it as a rejection of the Numbers system, and Harry had to admit, it was a good reason. They waited for the right response. Gottwald, apparently, was going to surround them with Knightmares, given his discussions with Lelouch. Harry could see Kewell in the Knightmare alongside Gottwald, perched on it like Gottwald.

And sure enough, the teal-haired man called out, "So, the Warlock has a sibling? A nice attempt at upstaging us, but your farce is finished." He signalled the aircraft above to drop their loads of Knightmares. As the wind from their landings ruffled the cloaks Zero and Warlock wore, Gottwald said, "Before you die, why not take off your masks?"

Harry said, " _How about a magic trick, first?_ " And then, Lelouch snapped his fingers, pressing another pedal as he did so, causing panels to come down, revealing the so-called poison gas capsule.

There were gasps, but, aside from the Purist escorts and Suzaku, little actual fear. The knowledge that this was, allegedly, a chemical weapon bomb, was not widespread. And Harry and Lelouch held out special switches, clearly meant to be dead-man switches. After a moment, Gottwald snarled, "Then what are your demands?"

" _Simple. We want to exchange Private Kururugi for this capsule_ ," Lelouch said.

"That's not going to happen!" Kewell snapped. "He has been found guilty of high treason, for the murder of Prince Clovis!"

" _The only things that were high were what you were when you thought you could make him a scapegoat for your own incompetence_ ," Harry sneered, distantly aware that a man wielding a video camera was dashing up to the transport.

" _And you have been labouring under a false assumption_ ," Lelouch added. " _Suzaku Kururugi is no murderer, especially not of Clovis. Instead, I pulled the trigger myself! I did so to end his massacre of helpless civilians, to cover up even worse deeds, worse even than what you believed. For a single Eleven, you'll save scores of Britannians. A good bargain, no?_ "

"You must be an imbecile or insane to think we'd ever consider such a bargain!" Gottwald said.

Kewell nodded. "Clovis would never have done such a thing! You'll not leave here alive, you two!"

" _Oh?_ " Harry asked. " _And what about 'Orange'?_ "

" _Indeed. I've done my homework on you, Kewell Soresi. We know your dirty little secret, about 'Orange'_ ," Lelouch said. Kallen took that as her cue to start moving again, to put pressure on Kewell and the Purists. " _Our deaths will only ensure that the sordid details of 'Orange' go public. So if you don't want that to happen_ …" Lelouch's mask opened, just over his left eye, and Harry heard him say, " _You'll do everything in your power to let us go._ "

"…Understood," Kewell said, before looking at the soldiers escorting Suzaku. "You two, let him go, at once."

What followed was a kind of restrained chaos. As Gottwald, playing his role to the hilt, tried to question Kewell, the blonde-haired Purist got into his Knightmare and tackled Gottwald's to the ground. The soldiers and Villetta instantly leapt to their superior's defence, and Harry decided it was that point he needed to act.

He Apparated over to Suzaku, and grabbed him, noticing the shock collar on his throat. " _Time to leave_ ," he said. "Alohamora."

The collar dropped off Suzaku, and Harry Apparated with him to Lelouch and Kallen, who were disembarking. "Au revoir," Lelouch said, activating the switch in his hand. Instantly, fireworks exploded out, and in the chaos that, plus Kewell's seeming treachery, caused, the quartet ran for the edge of the bridge, hurling themselves down to where Ohgi had left a special safety net, usually used by certain transportation Frames, for them to land on. They ended up in the cargo trucks that the Frame was attached to, and made their getaway, Gottwald, Villetta and the brainwashed Kewell occupying the attention of the others…

* * *

They reconvened in an abandoned theatre, with Harry and Lelouch talking with Suzaku. " _They didn't even let you speak in your defence_ ," Harry muttered, looking at the shock collar he had taken with him. " _They just chained you up like a dog and treated you like one._ "

Lelouch nodded. " _You see how Britannia treated you? What they are truly like, Private Kururugi? You see the rot that has set into them. Join me, please._ "

"…Tell me, did you kill Clovis?" Suzaku asked.

" _No. But I saw it happen. I would have done so myself. So would've Warlock. He was an enemy commander, and worse, he ordered the deaths of civilians with no connections to the resistance group._ "

Suzaku glared. "I very nearly thought you had gassed the people. But you bluffed. Save for that 'Orange' thing. Blackmail…causing strife…"

" _Nobody died. Your freedom was attained. Worse means to worse ends have been justified before_ ," Lelouch retorted. " _And Kewell would have happily seen you executed, along with the other Purists. The result was a good one, I daresay._ "

"…So the results are all that matter to you?" Suzaku asked.

" _Like I said, gratitude has a short half-life_ ," Harry said, crossing his arms. " _And yet, you're the one working for people who not only would murder civilians, but treat you like a dog. Get you to do tricks in exchange for treats, but they won't throw you so much as a bone. Frankly, I think it's a mistake to save your arse, but Zero here wanted to give you a chance._ "

Lelouch shot Harry a look, but held out a hand. " _Join me. The loyalty you show is to a worthless dominion._ "

Suzaku seemed to consider it briefly. "Maybe…but…Britannia can be changed for the better! And from within! Any result gained from contemptible means aren't worth anything."

" _So working with the country that uses those very ends is the right thing to do?_ " Harry scoffed.

Suzaku didn't reply, only moving away. " _Where are you going?_ " Lelouch demanded.

"My court martial. It'll start in an hour."

" _Have you taken leave of your senses?!_ " Lelouch demanded. " _The trial was just a formality! They had already found you guilty!_ "

"If you cannot work inside the rules and the law, then what? Anyway, if I don't go, then the reprisals against Elevens and Honorary Britannians will be worse."

" _Call them Japanese, damn you!_ " Harry snapped. " _Or are you just a good little robot who wants to die? Either at the hands of the Japanese, or the Britannians?_ "

"…I don't mind."

" _Don't be a fool!_ " Lelouch snapped. Harry, meanwhile, walked over to Suzaku, who had halted, and stared into his face. The dead expression there…Harry realised it was someone who wanted to die. He knew that face, because there had been times when he had seen that face in the mirror, particularly when he first came into this world.

"…An old friend of mine used to say something similar," Suzaku said. "It's a flaw of mine, I suppose. I'd try to bring you in, but I'm outnumbered, and I'd rather die in the service of the people. Still…I am grateful to you both."

With that, Suzaku left. Harry was tempted to raise his wand and kill Suzaku then and there…but didn't. He saw Lelouch trembling in fury, and went over. Quietly, he said, " _He wants to die, Zero. He wants to die a martyr._ "

" _Imbecile_ …" Lelouch hissed.

* * *

In the wake of what happened, school had been cancelled for now, and Harry and Kallen were walking through the streets the next day. They'd decided to have what amounted to a date in the park, a picnic, something to take their minds off what happened yesterday. Using a Privacy Charm, they spoke after they had a lunch. "Merlin, what a saga," Harry muttered.

"I was sweating bullets," Kallen admitted. "And that idiot still went to his court martial. Do you think he got off?"

"The evidence was fabricated, and Lelouch, as Zero, confessed. I doubt they'd prosecute Suzaku after all that. Unless they decided he was Zero's accomplice. He's suicidal, you know. Like I was a bit when I first arrived here. I think that's why he's so set on this crap. He's probably hoping to die while serving Britannia." He looked up, and saw Suzaku, with sunglasses and a few bandages on his face, walking nearby. And he wasn't alone.

The girl he was accompanying was slender, regal and elegant, pink hair framing a delicate face with violet eyes. The very air of this woman screamed a gentle, even innocent nature. A pair of twin buns were done up on the side of her head. "Speak of the devil…" Harry murmured. "And isn't that…?"

"Yes. He's not bowing and scraping, so she must have lied to him," Kallen said. "What do we do?"

"…Approach them. Remember, we're Lelouch's friends. We'll keep an eye on them, see if we can get any info from them."

Harry dispelled the Privacy Charm after packing away the picnic, and went over to Suzaku, who was looking on as the girl was meowing at a stray cat, one that had an injured paw. "Are you Lamperouge's friend Suzaku?" Harry asked, taking care not to use Lelouch's first name in front of the girl, even if she was out of earshot somewhat.

"Uhh, yes. And you are?" Suzaku asked warily.

"I'm Harry, and this is Kallen. We got to the same school, Ashford Academy," Harry said. "Dirty business, what the Purists tried to do, but, well…"

Suzaku nodded. "It's fine. Anyway, this is…Euphie. She's a girl who asked me to get away from some bad guys…though I think she might have been lying."

The trio walked over to Euphie, where she was cuddling the stray cat. She proffered the stray to Suzaku who tried to pet it, only to be bitten. "…Oh my," Euphie said.

"Not a cat person, Suzaku?" Harry asked.

"I like cats fine," Suzaku said, shamefaced. "It's just not reciprocated…"

* * *

They headed to a local chemist, and bought some bandages and similar things, Euphie applying it to the cat's forelimb, as well as cleaning Suzaku's wounded finger and bandaging it. The pink-haired girl then dragged them around the city, asking about local places that were good to go to. As they walked down the street after Euphie looked at a clothing shop, mimicking the pose of one of the mannequins, she said, "It's actually rather like being in Britannia. I was a student at Pendragon until last week. I was taking a vacation, and today's the last day, so I wanted to do some sightseeing. I wanted to know what sort of place Area Eleven is like."

Harry knew that Kallen was clenching her fist a little, but he knew Euphie wasn't being malicious, just naïve. "You didn't need me with you," Suzaku said.

"Hey, she's new to the country, she could do with someone escorting her," Harry said.

"Indeed. Suzaku…Harry…Kallen…I would like to ask you three something. I would like you to escort me to Shinjuku…"

* * *

Harry was a little confused by the request, but he carefully stayed by Euphie's side, as did Kallen and Suzaku. They found themselves at a makeshift memorial that had sprung up there. But then, a couple of obnoxious Britannian students were making an uproar at a nearby statue, one that Tamaki and his friends, who came around, took umbrage at. When Tamaki noticed Harry, to his credit, he only looked at them briefly, before deciding to go after the Britannians. He tried to tell them to leave, only for Suzaku to intervene. Tamaki, after looking like he would explode, decided to swallow his pride and leave. "C'mon, these pricks aren't worth it. Especially the traitor."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Tamaki was learning. Would the miracles ever cease? He knew Tamaki would be giving them the third degree later. And once he learned who they were escorting, it'd be even worse.

"Hey, why didn't you stop them sooner?!" sneered the rotund student. "Some Honorary Britannian you are! Now my camera's ruined! You should've killed them. What's a few less Elevens in the world?!"

"Piss off. At least he came to save your worthless hides. These people are mourning, and you're filming their graves for shits and giggles?" Harry retorted.

"They're not people, they're Numbers!" But the rotund idiot was promptly bitchslapped by Euphie.

"Do not insult these people or this man any longer, you oaf!" Euphie snapped.

The two ran away shortly afterwards, taking their camera with them. Suzaku looked down at the ground. Harry tuned out Suzaku's little speech. Idealistic though it was, he doubted the young Honorary Britannian would be able to get things done the way he wanted to.

After a moment, Euphie turned to Harry and Kallen. "So, what do you two think?"

"…A world without war or suffering is a dream, not a reality," Harry said bluntly. "Yes, it's a good thing to minimise such things, but human nature, you can't change. You can't end conflict forever…but fighting to stop it for as long as you can, to make sure as many people are as happy as possible…that's worth it. I'm sure you can agree, right, Euphemia li Britannia?"

It was worth it to see the shocked expression on her face, and Suzaku's in particular. And as Suzaku gaped, Harry added, "Oh, and FYI? I'm not doing the whole bowing and scraping thing. I have an insolent streak, and Kallen's a bit weak about the knees." He knew Kallen would get back at him about the knees comment, but he was feeling impish.

After a moment, Euphemia began giggling. "No, no, it's fine. I actually like being treated like a normal girl for a change. All the deference gets tiresome. So, you knew who I was from the beginning?"

"Your alias wasn't that good," Kallen said flatly. "And we saw pictures of you at school. Well, alongside your sister. We won't tell. But I don't think it'd be a good idea for any of us to linger here."

"…No, I suppose not," Euphemia mused. "Well then, shall we go?"

They agreed, though Harry could tell, by the way her fingernails were digging into his hand, that Kallen was definitely going to get him back for that weak knees comment. Worth it, though…

 **CHAPTER 6 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Suzaku was rescued, and Euphemia has been met. Unfortunately, that means Cornelia is on the way too…**

 **As Kewell was the one to get affected by 'Orange', the whole stadium incident didn't happen.**

 **Now, I should say that this will be the last chapter for a few days. Keep in mind that I have actually written up to Chapter 9, and am most of the way through Chapter 10 (yes, I know, I said I wasn't going to write beyond Chapter 9 until I watched more of the series, but I had an idea for Chapter 10 that can slot in between Saitama and the Lake Kawaguchi incident). There's a few reasons for that.**

 **The first is that I want to let things settle a bit after giving you guys a veritable blizzard of chapters for this story. It'll give some time for other people to discover this fic. It's already managed to get into the Top 10 Potterverse/** ** _Code Geass_** **crossovers in terms of favourites and follows, though given that there are only 33 (as of writing), that's not saying much.**

 **Secondly, between last chapter and this one, I had another idea for a** ** _Code Geass_** **crossover (and no, sadly, while the idea of CC and Abridged Alucard getting together is hilarious, I don't think it has legs as a story). The Potterverse ones have been shelved (for now: I intend to come back to them later). It's a crossover between** ** _Code Geass_** **and** ** _Overlord_** **, but it's different to the challenge I mentioned. The guest who commented on it raised some good points…so I've been inspired to try a new tack. Whether that becomes a full fic or not depends. If the idea doesn't go anywhere, I'll post it as a challenge in the forums of DZ2 and whitetigerwolf. Keep an eye out for it in** ** _Quatermass' Compost Heap_** **.**

 **EDIT: I have just posted the first (and hopefully not only) chapter of _Plenipotent Player Prince_ in _Quatermass' Compost Heap_. Give it a go, especially you, Mr Guest! If you wanna know why...imagine Momonga reincarnated as Lelouch...and the NPCs reincarnated as various _Code Geass_ characters.**

 **Review-answering time! I answered a few of these in correspondence, but I'll answer them here.**

 **Zane Tribal Tyne Alexandros** **: Harry may get a Geass in the future, but I'm yet to decide what power it has.**

 **LoamyCoffee** **: True, but sometimes, some dubs actually work better than the sub. I know that's a controversial opinion, but there are some good points for that.** ** _Overlord_** **, for example, has some pretty good lines in the dub, compared to the original, while I noticed that the dub of** ** _JoJo's Bizarre Adventure_** **not only work in some English idioms, but also some apposite cultural references (like when JoJo and Speedwagon are hiding behind a curtain after Dio becomes a vampire, Dio makes a reference to Polonius from** ** _Hamlet_** **in the dub). Sometimes, translations can be a pale shade of the original, and sometimes, they can improve on it.**

 **Voltrasin** **: No. We may have it discussed, but the POVs are mostly restricted to Harry and Kallen.**

 **merendinoemiliano** **: I gave that story a go. It was…weird. TBH, I'm not that familiar with** ** _Kamen Rider_** **, so that's partly why. I haven't really watched anything like that or Super Sentai since the original Power Rangers back in the 90s.**

 **DZ2** **: Tamaki will improve a little. His actions here show that he is capable of improving, albeit a little bit. And after discussion with…I think it was Zane Tribal Tyne Alexandros, he will have a scene where he agrees with Harry, Lelouch, Kallen and CC on something…namely pranking the hell out of the Britannians, especially Cornelia. My personal favourite scene from the series, so far, is Zero's actual debut, followed shortly afterwards by Zero helping Kallen and the others in Shinjuku.**

 **DALucifer** **: I made it fairly clear, given the allusions to the Veil and saving Sirius, that Harry had come into the** ** _Code Geass_** **-verse at the end of Book 5. He is now about 17, after spending a year, more or less, in Japan (Harry was nearly 16 at the end of Book 5). He could attempt Legilimency, but he's more likely to tear someone's mind apart than actually get information.**

 **Have a Little Feith** **: While I'm not doing that, Harry WILL be protective of Nunnally. So much so that, if I do Nunnally being abducted at the end of the season, I will have Lelouch trust Harry and Kallen enough to send them to fetch her. Well, it depends on how I approach the storyline anyway.**

 **Leicontis** **: Actually, no, I thought of it on a whim. But it's nice to think I was holding onto it.**

 **Harmonius Arkos Sloth** **: No, Nunnally's blindness was caused by Charles' Geass. That means that Harry can cancel Geass powers, or at least a few. Lelouch's and Charles' Geass powers are definitely ones he can affect.**

 **Guest** **: If you're referring to Kallen's comment about the 'pimpmobile', it's not even my joke. I'm fairly sure it's from SeerKing's** ** _Code Geass: The Prepared Rebellion_** **. But it was too good not to reuse, though Lelouch's reaction was my own addition. Lelouch is too dark and broody and sardonic in canon, so I thought I'd add these bits here and there where he's surprised (and not by anything bad) that show that, beneath it all, he is still a kid with a sense of humour. Plus, I was inspired by a similar scene from another fanfic: in the first chapter of** ** _The Black Emperor_** **by Primordial Vortex, while discussing Clovis' incompetence in playing chess (to the point of Clovis flipping the table), CC remarks, "Please tell me you never Fool's Checked him." Lelouch, after a few seconds, actually cackles, presumably at the memory of doing just that.**

 **I'm also aware of Nemesis13's stories. I can't remember any other story off the top of my head where Suzaku is competent/likeable, save for reincarnation fics where he remembers his past life. Anyway, you keep an eye on** ** _Quatermass' Compost Heap_** **for that** ** _Code Geass/Overlord_** **story I might write, even if it's only the first couple of chapters. I think you will enjoy it. I'm not doing it based on the challenge, and it will be a little cracky…but I think it will be enjoyable.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	8. Chapter 7: Discontent

**CHAPTER 7:**

 **DISCONTENT**

As expected, Tamaki had grilled them about what happened, with Ohgi and Nagata looking on. Thankfully, he realised that kidnapping Euphemia would have been a bad idea, as Cornelia was on her way to Japan…and she was ridiculously overprotective of her sister, according to Lelouch, and even Euphemia herself, who had mentioned that yesterday before they parted ways. Even Tamaki knew that pissing Cornelia off was suicidal, or at least using Euphemia to do so. Tamaki had to laugh at how Euphemia bitchslapped one of the idiots.

They went back to see Lelouch the next day. While school was out for the weekend, Lelouch, given his quarters there, was around, as was CC. Nunnally was joyous about being able to see once more, and was currently reading, making up for lost time, given that Braille libraries were limited.

"So, Euphie is here," Lelouch mused. "And Cornelia is on her way to Japan. Gottwald confirmed that to me, and that Kewell is in custody. Still…I suppose Euphie might be our best hope for peace here."

"Do you think she would be able to do anything?" Kallen asked. "I mean, she hides a bit of a fire, but even so…"

"I've been keeping an eye on my former family and their exploits," Lelouch said. "Euphemia may not be a military genius like Cornelia, but she's an adept diplomat, able to find non-violent solutions. That makes her all the more dangerous. She may be a pacifist, but she also knows more about the way of the world than Suzaku does. She could be our greatest ally, or our most insidious enemy."

"Speaking of dangers, something just occurred to me," Harry said, looking over to CC. "Earlier, you mentioned a Geass that allows someone to hear thoughts, to read minds. I need to ask you about them if they are still alive and a possible threat to us."

Harry spotted a brief flinch in CC's eyes, before she went back to her stoic expression. "In case he comes here?" CC looked away. Eventually, she said, "His name is Mao. He was…a mistake. _My_ mistake. A Chinese orphan I gave Geass to long ago. It is unlikely that he will come here, as the voices of people's thoughts drive him into insanity…but he has an obsession with me. It's not outside the realm of possibility. I will keep an eye out for him. If I am lucky, I can persuade him to leave before he encounters any of you…or kill him if need be. I am the only person who won't be affected by his Geass."

"I'll hold you to that, CC," he said, meeting the green-haired witch's gaze. "I have lost one set of friends. I refuse to lose another."

"Yes…about that…what exactly is your story, Harry?" Lelouch asked. "You've alluded to more than a few things. As you seem to know a lot about my life, I would like to know yours."

"…Normally, I'd refuse, partly because it would sound unbelievable, and partly because…well, I still don't trust you, not wholly. You're an exiled prince who now has the ability to brainwash anyone he comes across. But…given your gratitude for what I did for Nunnally, I might as well. Now, where do I begin? I guess it's with a boy called Tom Riddle…"

* * *

Kallen had heard the story before, so she tuned part of it out, mostly watching Lelouch's reactions, and those of CC. They were telling. Disbelief and horror were in their eyes. Admittedly, Harry was giving a somewhat abridged version, or else they'd be here all day.

Eventually, Lelouch closed his eyes, digesting the information. "So…you are a wizard from another world. A wizard whom the foolish masses of your Magical Britain believe to be a messiah, when they're not busy pillorying you. And now, Voldemort is free to run amok in Britain. I do not envy you your fate, any more than you should envy mine."

"Do you ever desire a means to go back?" CC asked, giving Harry a sympathetic look.

"Of course I do!" Harry said. "I mean, I hate what Magical Britain did to me, and I wish my friends kept me in the loop, but I want to ensure they're still alive. But…I don't know where to begin. I mean, you can't give me a Geass that allows me to travel between worlds?"

CC shook her head. "Geass powers tend to affect the mind and soul. And I have enough knowledge of technology across the world to know that travel to parallel universes is not a technology developed here. Of course, I cannot be certain, but I keep an eye on world events and technology. I'm sorry, Harry. If the wizards back on your world have a means of transport between worlds, then it is up to them. I can see why you detest being kept in the dark. If I do withhold information from you, it is for your own good more than mine. As an immortal, there is little that can harm me. But the same cannot be said for you. Some information you learn will ensure that you will be hunted to the ends of the Earth."

"By VV?" Harry asked, clearly not happy, but Kallen got the feeling that CC was more upfront than Dumbledore, given what Harry told her about the old wizard.

"Yes, amongst others. And it wouldn't be just you three who would be in danger, but Nunnally, your friends and family. I am rather selfish, but these people are ruthless. Lelouch is my contractor, and…I will admit, you are interesting, Harry Potter. I have seen many men and women break under lesser pressures. Then again, adversity can either be a furnace of destruction, or a crucible of strength. The three of you are strong through your adversity. You will need that strength. After all, you are taking on Britannia, not to mention the other superpowers of the world…"

* * *

Harry and Kallen were left somewhat dissatisfied by CC, but her assurances about keeping an eye out for Mao were better than before. They went to visit the Student Council briefly, who were working over the weekend to deal with some issues. Well, Milly and Nina were. Rivalz was doing, well, whatever the hell he did when at a loose end, while Shirley was apparently training with the swim club. Harry and Kallen spent some time helping out.

They also relayed what they witnessed the other day. Milly had been curious, and Harry and Kallen, eventually, relayed an edited version of what they witnessed. "So…the Elevens left them alone?" Nina asked nervously.

"Yeah, but that's beside the point, Nina," Harry said. "The guy who came along was a dickhead, but so were those students. Those people, people who didn't do anything but exist, died less than a week ago, and they were just going on about how cool it was that they died. Numbers or not, they're people."

Nina pursed her lips in uncertainty, but just shook her head, changing the subject. "If that really was Princess Euphemia there, and she trusted that Eleven Private Kururugi…she must be a really good person."

"Well, she is a nice person," Kallen admitted. "I don't think Cornelia will be. You can't be known as the Goddess of Victory by hugging everyone."

Milly snickered briefly. Meanwhile, Nina returned to her computer. "I'd feel safer with her around," the petite genius said.

"So, what are you actually looking at?" Harry asked.

"I'm not sure you'd understand it, but it is the behaviour of atoms under certain circumstances…"

Harry blinked when he saw the diagram, a familiar one from a textbook Hermione had shown him. "A nuclear reaction? Fission?"

Nina blinked, before she looked up at him. "Umm, yes. Do you know much about it?"

Trying to cover his knowledge, he said, "I've only heard a few things. That's a chain reaction, isn't it?"

"Yes. Atoms splitting, shedding neutrons which split further atoms," Nina said, her shyness gone in favour of showing off a little. "I'm actually looking at the possibility of uranium instead of sakuradite as an energy source. If the chain reaction remains stable, it would be more potent than sakuradite."

"…But with nasty byproducts," Harry said. "Radiation, deadly waste…" Noticing Nina's curious look, he grimaced inwardly. He'd definitely said too much.

"…Maybe hydrogen fusion instead?" Nina mused. "How do you know about this?"

"It's a story you're better off not knowing," Harry told the shy girl. "I knew people who died because of radioactive stuff."

Well, more correctly, he knew _of_ people who died of radiation poisoning. Like Marie Curie, or Sadako Sasaki, the famous child victim of the Hiroshima bomb who died at an early age while attempting to fold a thousand origami cranes. Not to mention the victims of Chernobyl.

Nina seemed torn between pestering him for more, Hermione-style, and showing sympathy, before plumping for the latter. Harry had already made it clear that his past was a painful one, and had asked the others not to pry. "I'm…sorry to hear that."

"Yeah. Radiation poisoning isn't pretty…"

* * *

When school started up again after the weekend, Harry and Kallen began hearing rumours as they came in. They had come in earlier this morning to meet with Lelouch and CC, and between the four of them, they considered their next target, aside from Britannia proper, to be Refrain. The infamous drug was becoming even more of a problem than before, and Kallen suspected that her biological mother was taking it. If she did, then she did so at her own home, as she lived away from the Stadtfeld home.

The main rumour, however, was that a Japanese student (not that they used the word Japanese: no, it was always 'Eleven' or 'Number') was being transferred in, and that it was Suzaku.

Harry had learned from Kallen after they discussed him that Suzaku, in all likelihood, was the son of the last Prime Minister of Japan, Genbu Kururugi, lambasted for surrendering Japan to Britannia. Lelouch confirmed that, but pointed out that Suzaku and his father were die-hard patriots when he knew them, so while Suzaku changing in the interim was possible (he had already shown signs of revulsion towards violence during the invasion), Genbu surrendering wasn't like him.

When Suzaku was introduced to the class, predictably, Nina didn't react well, shivering somewhat. She kept her mouth shut, thankfully, though others muttered about him being an Eleven and the suspect in the killing of Clovis. Harry and Kallen met his eyes, and nodded. The pair of them loathed having to play nice with him, given his imbecilic idealism and his being the pilot of that Knightmare, but for now, they'd leave him be.

During lunch, they saw Lelouch and Suzaku go off together. "What do you think they're talking about?" Harry asked once they found their own private spot.

"Probably catching up," Kallen said. "Lelouch is playing his role. And assassinating him here might end up exposing us, even if we make it look like an accident."

"A shame. Then again, I think he'd welcome it. He's suicidal, but not actually willing to do it himself. I was like that for a while, remember?"

Kallen nodded thoughtfully. "It must run in the family. His father committed suicide, remember?"

"I'm more worried about Cornelia. You hear the stories about her, and unlike most, she could probably back up her reputation. Geass and my magic are unknown quantities to her, and if Lelouch can ensure Gottwald's loyalty, we have a mole well-placed within her administration."

"That's assuming that the Purists will be trusted by Cornelia, after Suzaku's framing and that 'Orange' debacle. Gottwald and the Nu woman may be considered guilty by association. They may not be so well-placed to help us," Kallen mused. "Not that I particularly like the thought of them helping us…or rather, Lelouch. He's the one holding their leashes, not us. We'll have to think of some sort of contingency against him. Don't get me wrong, I think an alliance with him is a good thing, and he has trusted us so far. But he is a Britannian royal, and I'm worried he still may be using us as a stepping stone for his own ends."

"I'd scold you for your lack of loyalty…but I can understand it."

Harry and Kallen froze, only to look at CC standing behind them, dressed not in the straitjacket she usually wore, but more casual clothes. "How long have you been there for?"

"Long enough," the green-haired girl said, shrugging. "I get bored, I like to explore, and I have had centuries to learn stealth. And I understand your wariness. I have had dealings with the Britannian Royal Family before, and I was betrayed for my troubles. I may support Lelouch, but he will probably be the last Britannian royal I ever support. That being said, while I support your wariness on principle, I doubt that Lelouch would betray you for anything as banal as power. But every man has his weak point, and his is Nunnally. He would do anything and everything to keep her safe. And if she wasn't safe, desperation may drive him to do something stupid. In a way, that's why I am glad he has you two to back him up. Even if Nunnally was not in danger, he still shares some of the hubris of his family, and might not be able to resist a challenge from particular foes. But you two can act as checks and balances…and if need be, a rescue party." She looked at them both. "I won't say anything to Lelouch. Oh, I would if you were actually going to betray him. As his contractor, I need him alive and able to fulfil our contract. But you are merely suspicious of his motives. Just remember, Lelouch owes you a major debt, Harry, for healing his sister. And I don't think he would be the sort to renege so lightly."

With a slight feline smile, CC strutted away, leaving Harry and Kallen shaken. True, they had used a Privacy Charm to ensure they wouldn't be overheard, but CC had surprised them. Once more, Harry realised that Moody's admonishment of 'constant vigilance' applied here. He had gotten careless, and it very nearly cost them…

 **CHAPTER 7 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, discussions and dissent all round. Harry's let slip some things…and maybe they may prove disastrous…or maybe not.**

 **So, before I get onto answering reviews, I'd like to make an announcement. I have, perhaps foolishly, started a new** ** _Code Geass_** **story. This one is the** ** _Overlord_** **crossover I have mentioned in the previous chapter. After the reception it got in the Compost Heap, I managed to write enough chapters to justify, IMO, publishing it as a full story. If you want to see most of the** ** _Overlord_** **cast reincarnated as characters in** ** _Code Geass_** **, then be my guest and look at** ** _Plenipotent Player Prince_** **.**

 **Review-answering time!** **DrakefireAtomic** **: I actually gave it a go, but there were many formatting issues in that particular one that turned me off. Bad formatting, IMO, is not far behind bad spelling and grammar when it comes to something that will turn me off a fanfic. I might track down that WatchMojo video. They aren't too bad, though I generally prefer Screwattack's Top 10 videos, given their entertainment value. A shame it took until one of the latest ones (as of writing) involving the Top 10 Most Destructive Weapons before they did anything from** ** _Doctor Who_** **, but considering they actually included the Reality Bomb from the episode** ** _Journey's End_** **, it's a doozy…**

 **DZ2** **: Umm, Arthur?**

 **DalkonCledwin** **: Umm, this 'Zaku' thing…is that an infamously bad mecha? Given the 'MS' designation at the start, I'm guessing it's a Mobile Suit from the Gundam franchise? As for killing CC…I'm guessing it'd be about as difficult as killing Captain Jack Harkness. Or Deadpool. Probably more so.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	9. Chapter 8: The Oncoming Storm

**CHAPTER 8:**

 **THE ONCOMING STORM**

Harry handed the mask back to Lelouch with an irritated glare. "Be careful where you leave this," he said. "It's a bad sign when a charismatic figurehead of anti-Britannian resistance can't keep his disguise from being stolen, especially by a cat."

CC had an amused smirk on her lips as Lelouch took the mask back. "He has a point, you know."

"Quiet, witch," Lelouch said, albeit without any real venom. "That spell you used to get the cat back…it seems useful."

"In combat, yes. I used it to get injured people to safety, not to mention weapons or ammo that was out of reach. The Summoning Charm saved my bacon against a dragon, too. I used it to summon my broomstick. Outside of combat…it's just if I'm too lazy to get a stepladder."

"Hmm, that was in the tournament you mentioned," Lelouch mused as he placed the mask in a more secure spot in his room. Kallen had been roped into some brainstorming session by Milly. "I wouldn't believe half of what you say if it weren't for the abilities I have already seen. Still, between your magic and my Geass, not to mention Kallen's ability as a Devicer, I feel confident in our ability to take on Britannia."

"We still need more people," Harry said. "Kallen's group are pretty small, and the problem is, not all of the groups like working with each other. If the Japanese military couldn't hold off Britannia, Knightmare Frames aside, what can resistance groups do?"

"We do what you and your group have been doing already. You waged a war of propaganda, holding up a mirror to their incompetence or their arrogance, albeit in the form of rather puerile pranks. And you were planning on exposing Clovis' crimes, though events did sort of prevent that. We need to win the hearts and minds of the Japanese people, as well as sow discord amongst the Britannians."

"I think our next big target should be Refrain," Harry said. "It's a big problem amongst the Japanese."

"Hmm. Cornelia is ruthless, but knowing her, she would prefer to ensure that Refrain is not used. She's not a fan of graft and corruption, whereas Clovis doubtless encouraged it," Lelouch said. "Gottwald contacted me, and said that she's arrived in Japan last night. Nearly shot one of Clovis' old staffers because he had the temerity to throw her a party."

Harry laughed nervously. "Seriously?"

"Cornelia despises formal occasions, and she tended to only enjoy birthday parties, especially with myself, Nunnally, and Euphie," Lelouch said, with a sardonic smile. "She'd prefer to get straight to business without wasting any time. Anyone expecting to give her a party when she's here to do business is too stupid to live. Cornelia may be ruthless, but she expects her people to be efficient and not be wasteful or frivolous. She inspires loyalty for a reason."

"Speaking of Cornelia, how would we be able to get any hints as to what she knows about your mother's death? Or Schneizel, for that matter?"

"Research would do very little, but I have asked Gottwald about the matter. He wasn't able to add much more, but he agrees that the likelihood of Cornelia being a willing accomplice, let alone the perpetrator, to be minimal at best. I say willing accomplice, because there's the very real possibility that, if there are Geass users amongst my father's court, then she could have been subverted. As for Schneizel…well, I can't put anything past him, but I doubt he was a willing accomplice or perpetrator either, if only because I was certain he held my mother in high regard. He's still more likely than Cornelia, though, by dint of his ruthless pragmatism. Personally, I think their involvement was peripheral and unwitting at best."

"And your father?"

"Yes…he is a suspect, but I think he was an accomplice than the man who did the deed, or gave the order. I believe that my mother fell afoul of someone at court with enough influence to sway my father, but who works from the shadows. And as I saw the Emperor in my vision, I think he has some link to Geass, perhaps even a Geass himself. Does he?"

This question was put to CC, who shrugged. "I'm not the one who gave it to him."

"VV, then," Harry mused. "Unless there are other immortals capable of granting Geass powers. Are there?"

"I don't know, but it is a possibility," CC said, though Harry noticed she didn't confirm or deny that VV was Charles' contractor.

"What about Suzaku?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

"Nothing. Just keep up the façade that you and Kallen do not know him," Lelouch said. "I want you to be civil with him, though I don't expect you to make friends with him. If I'm lucky, I may be able to sway him over to our way of thinking. And to tell the truth, Euphie may be a good influence on him. Maybe she might even make him her own personal Knight, and that may mean he is less likely to come into direct conflict with us. I'd prefer not to kill him if need be. The same goes for Cornelia, though she is an enemy commander. I will capture or kill her if necessary. However, I want to know exactly what she knows about my mother's assassination first…"

* * *

Kallen despised having to be part of the school assembly for this, to watch the televised broadcast of Clovis' funeral back in Pendragon. She hated watching that bastard Charles zi Britannia grandstand, using the funeral to espouse his Social Darwinism, elitist views that made her want to vomit copiously.

Admittedly, she didn't hate every aspect of her Britannian heritage, though it took Harry's presence to have her come to terms with that. Their technology was amongst the best, if not the best, in the world, and there were many pieces of Britannian literature and art she loved. But she despised the mindset, particularly prevalent in the upper classes, of 'survival of the fittest', a hypocritical statement given how indolent and corrupt they were. They didn't try to integrate those they conquered, they merely steamrollered over them and established gleaming cities on the corpses of other nations.

Still, she took comfort from Harry being by her side during this. She wished he could hold her hand during this, but unfortunately, they had to observe the forms. She could tell by the set of his mouth that he was trying to avoid showing his contempt for the Emperor's speech, his green eyes flashing with anger behind his glasses. That scar, the lightning bolt-like one that snaked out from beneath his messy black fringe, had faded over time. Now, it was just pale white on his skin. He was a bit scrawny, but he was handsome.

What drew her to him, after what was admittedly a bad beginning, was his fire, like her own, his sense of justice, and his compassion. He could have easily let the Britannian soldier attacking her kill her during that op, after all the things she had done to him, the unkind words and threats and rows. Instead, he came to her rescue, like a knight in shining armour, ablaze with fury. Not that she truly needed his help: she had been surprised by the Britannian soldier, and was actually on the verge of dealing with the soldier herself, but he stepped in and did it for her.

It was that that helped her realise that, even if his story about being from another world was false, not all Britannians were enemies. It was a much-needed shock to her system. And it was after that point that they began to become friends and comrades.

In hindsight, Kallen knew that her hatred towards Britannians had turned in on herself, even if at the time, she wouldn't acknowledge it. Her father had loved her, true, but had to marry that barren bitch in order to keep some standing, instead of standing by Kallen's mother, who was reduced to being a servant in the Stadtfeld household. Kallen had some self-loathing, something that didn't help her anger issues.

Harry, admittedly, didn't know that much about the Japan of his world. Apparently it had been involved in something called the Second World War, on the losing side, and apparently had been rather vicious. But the USA, the country where Britannia was situated, had used a pair of frighteningly powerful bombs, nuclear weapons, to cow Japan into surrender. In a way, it was both like and yet unlike what had happened to Japan here. At least Japan was allowed to keep its name, though Harry had heard of other things that happened afterwards.

Still, a lot of video games came from Japan, along with comics and cartoons, manga and anime. Japan was famous for producing cars and electronics in his world. In the end, Japan, in his world, had possibly retained some of its heart and soul.

Britain, as in the British Isles where the Britannian Empire originated, had once been the centre of a world-spanning empire, but was no longer, replaced by a Commonwealth. He said he knew that Napoleon lost against Britain, that Nelson survived. He said that Elizabeth I never had an acknowledged son, and had been the so-called 'Virgin Queen', with her successor being James VI of Scotland, later James I of England. It still had a monarchy, a Queen, Elizabeth II, but it also had a democracy, something Kallen wasn't sure how that'd work.

That world wasn't without its problems though, hidden magical conflicts aside. Until around the time Harry went to Hogwarts, a Cold War was going on between superpowers, each with nuclear weapons ready to fire off in a madness called mutually assured destruction. Humanity still had racism and cultural divides, and the wizarding world, hidden from normal view, was no exception.

Still, Kallen wanted to see that world one day. It still sounded a lot better than here in some regards. And at least Japan had kept its name, kept something of its soul. Naoto had hoped to see it himself, and Harry wanted to bring them there. They would only visit, long enough to ensure Voldemort was dealt with, and to see the Japan of that world, but they would come back. Because Kallen didn't intend to abandon her homeland.

And what of Lelouch? Kallen glanced at the exiled prince. A rather brooding type, dark, ruthless and cold, though with unexpected shades of light and humour. Theatrical, if his performance as Zero was any indication, but so was Harry. If he was sincere, his motivation for taking on Britannia wasn't power, but for revenge, and for protecting Nunnally. Kallen could get behind that. She would keep an eye on him, true, she had to. Between his lineage and Geass, he was a problem. But he was also an excellent ally. Without him, Shinjuku would have been a near-total disaster, if not total. He had been upfront with them, mostly for pragmatic reasons, but he didn't use the Geass to erase their memories or force compliance, as far as she knew. And that debut as Zero, scary though it was, was brilliantly audacious.

And CC…now Kallen was worried about that one. An immortal capable of granting the power of Geass. Someone who admitted to withholding information. She hinted to there being a wider conspiracy, one that endangered them all if she revealed too much. Kallen wasn't wholly sure what to make of her. And that was what worried her. Lelouch was more of a known quantity than CC.

Finally, Suzaku Kururugi. A quisling. A traitor. And yet, he was so stupidly earnest about trying to change the system from within, or die trying. It was one thing to become an Honorary Britannian for better privileges, she could understand that, even if she despised them for it. But to do so in order to try and change things for the better? The height of folly, she thought. Though she had to admit, he was a damned good Knightmare Frame pilot, even if he was the enemy.

* * *

After the service, Harry and Kallen were walking home when they got a call on their phones. Ohgi was calling to let them know that one of the larger resistance groups, the Blood of the Samurai, had their largest base annihilated by Cornelia and her men. It seemed that she wasn't wasting any time dealing with the various resistance and terrorist groups around Japan.

The problem was, Cornelia's ruthlessness could potentially extend to targeting Japanese civilians, especially if it meant drawing out Warlock and Zero. And Harry didn't want that to happen.

Soon, Cornelia would make her move. And when she did, Harry and Lelouch would be in for their greatest trial yet…

 **CHAPTER 8 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **I meant to get to the Saitama battle in this chapter, but the discussions, and the exploration of Kallen's character took up too much space, so…Saitama happens in the next chapter. And not the main character from** ** _One Punch Man_** **.**

 **Review-answering time!** **raw666** **: Lelouch hasn't asked Harry much about the history of the Potterverse, but we may get to that later. I think he'd be both disappointed at a constitutional monarchy of Britain, but heartened at the lack of, well, Britannia.**

 **Guest** **(regarding Gundams and the 'Power He Knows Not'): Okay, fair enough. But Harry won't be getting CC's Code. That was only on the cards when I was considering adding CC to the pairing. Instead, Harry will be getting a Geass, and after discussion with Gabriel Herrol via PM, I have decided what he will get. If you're wondering what those are, fans of the Nasuverse might know. Keep in mind, Harry won't be getting such a Geass until much later in the story. He's already OP in the Code Geass world thanks to magic…**

 **OBSERVER01** **: Sadly, no, I actually intend for Mao to make an onscreen appearance, even if it's only for a chapter.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	10. Chapter 9: Cornelia Strikes Back!

**CHAPTER 9:**

 **CORNELIA STRIKES BACK!**

"It's an invitation," Lelouch declared, looking at the news a couple of days later in his room. There was an announcement of a military operation occurring in Saitama in a couple of hours.

"It's a trap," Harry retorted. "Don't get me wrong, I'm still going, if only to try and ensure that Cornelia doesn't kill civilians. But you can't expect this to go the same way as Shinjuku."

"Why not?" Lelouch asked.

"For one thing, the Yamato Alliance aren't exactly good at following anyone's lead but their own," Harry said. "Naoto teamed up with them for an operation not long before I arrived, and they bugged out when the going got tough. I heard some of their members peddle Refrain on the sly, too. For another, Cornelia's a better commander than Clovis, as you well know. At the very least, she'll analyse your tactics from Shinjuku and counter them. At the very least, you need an exit strategy if things go south. I'm going to be doing things from ground level, running interference."

"Running interference?"

"Lelouch, you're good at planning, but I'm good at being the fly in the ointment," Harry said. "If you've been following my career as Warlock, you'd know that I'm good at surprising and humiliating the enemy. If you want to try your luck shepherding the Yamato Alliance and trying to lead them to victory, be my guest, but don't be an idiot about it. Remember Nunnally."

"And what do you suggest?" Lelouch asked, irritated. "Do you have a plan?"

"Nope. I mean, beyond helping civilians and causing havoc. I had this notion of challenging Cornelia to a one-on-one duel, but something tells me she wouldn't bother stepping foot outside her Knightmare Frame even if she accepts. If she bothered to ask Suzaku about how I defeated him, then I wouldn't be able to use the same tactic unless I got her by surprise, and unlike Suzaku, she would be surrounded by her entourage, and I'd be a sitting duck even if I managed to get to her Knightmare Frame." Then, after a moment, he smirked. "Got it."

"Got what? An idea?"

"Hmm. I don't know whether it will do much, but if Cornelia is re-enacting a massacre…how do you think Euphemia will feel?"

"You intend to get a message to Euphie? To sow discord between them?"

"I know how to send a message magically via a spell called the Patronus charm," Harry said. "I don't even need to know the person's location, as long as I have met them and can visualise them. The spell does the rest." Pursing his lips, he then added, "I've also been working on something for a long time. Namely, a Portkey. I only managed to just get it right yesterday."

"A Portkey?"

"An object that, when activated, transports whoever's holding it to a preset destination," Harry said. "Unpleasant, but fast. I've been trying to get it right for ages, as, well, I never used the spell used to create it back home, I've been trying to recreate it from scratch. With mixed success. I once embedded a stray cat into a wall at our HQ. But yesterday, I got it to work. I even tested it myself after using a few cats. It's very rough, but it should work."

"…Well, I'll take your word for it. Make me one. Make the destination…this room," Lelouch said.

"The activation phrase is 'home again, home again'. What about the others?" Harry asked as he took out a coin and put a spell on it.

"…I won't bring them with me. Given that this is a trap, I want to ensure they don't get caught in it," Lelouch said.

"And what about you?"

"I am taking the risk so I can interrogate Cornelia. If something goes wrong and I can't escape, then ask CC to give yourself or Kallen a Geass," Lelouch said. "And have someone assume the mantle of Zero…"

* * *

"Harry, you're walking into a trap," Kallen said.

"I know. I'm only going to ensure the civilians are all right," Harry said as he walked across the school grounds a short while later. "Unlike Lelouch, I'm not going to take on Cornelia head-on. She'll doubtless be surrounded by her guard. And as I've managed to get Portkeys working…I've given one to Lelouch, and I've got one for myself. And CC…well, she tried to stop us going at gunpoint, or at least she tried to stop Lelouch. She relented only when she saw his conviction. I swear, he's got balls of steel. That being said, after he left, CC and I arranged something. If things get too dicey for either of us, she'll appear as Zero to distract Cornelia's forces. She's also got spare Portkeys in case we lose them or we get knocked out. Kallen, it's Lelouch more than myself I'm worried about. If you're that concerned for me, go with CC."

The redhead scowled. "I'm not happy about this, I want to be on the front lines. And I'm not made of glass."

"Yes, but you're at your best in a Knightmare Frame, and while Lelouch could steal a Sutherland or something, I'd say he wants you to be in something that could match that one Suzaku was piloting before you go up against Cornelia."

"No. I'm coming with you, not CC. Someone's got to watch your back while we evacuate the civilians. You forget that I am trained in unarmed and armed combat."

After a moment, Harry sighed, shaking his head. "Fine. But no charging off. Our mission is to help the civilians and disrupt the infantry Cornelia sends in…"

* * *

Harry and Kallen had been to Saitama before, so after getting changed, with Kallen wearing a _Hannya_ mask to conceal her identity, they went there, using Apparition to get past the troops. They then began using Body Binds and Incarcerous spells (well, Harry did) to paralyse the troops at the barricades, thus allowing for an evacuation, which the pair of them started. That wouldn't last long without some sort of response, so hopefully, Lelouch would be able to start soon himself.

Thankfully, when a Sutherland did turn up to investigate, the pilot clearly didn't get briefed by Cornelia, and Harry used the same trick he used on Suzaku before the pilot could attack. Only, this time, he didn't destroy the cockpit. He caused the Sutherland to kneel, and looked at Kallen, the invitation clear. To get in the damned robot.

Kallen's job was to guard the people evacuating through the checkpoint, while Hary moved through the Saitama ghetto and got people to leave, dealing with any Britannian infantry as he did so. The pair of them had radios, and Kallen was trying to find the frequency for Lelouch, before she succeeded. " _Tsunade to Zero, do you read me?_ " Harry heard her voice over the radio as he headed to a rooftop, having done what he could so far.

" _I read you, Tsunade_ ," Lelouch said, concealing his surprise. " _What are you doing here?_ "

" _Back-up, in case we need to haul your scrawny carcass out of the fire. We're helping the civilians evacuate for now. How's your plans?_ "

" _I've just made contact with the Yamato Alliance. They're willing to help, so far. Your evacuation isn't across the bridge?_ "

" _No. Why?_ "

" _I'm about to blow it soon._ "

"… _Okay_ ," Harry said. " _When did you get that done?_ "

" _The Britannians put explosives on it themselves earlier, in case things got out of hand. However, they've remained on the bridge, not knowing I could detonate the explosives myself. I'll contact you if things get rough._ "

Harry got to a rooftop, and peered at the mobile HQ in the distance, using binoculars. " _Zero, I think things_ _ **will**_ _get rough. I'm not just seeing Sutherlands but Gloucesters as well. I'm guessing they're Cornelia's own guard, what with all those lances they've got like they're compensating for something. Can Gottwald do anything?_ "

" _No. Even if he could, my little ploy with Kewell worked a bit too well, with the Purists now sidelined, pending a court-martial for Kewell. Gottwald and Nu are not actually under suspicion per se, but the members of the Purist Faction are all looking suspect. Warlock, if the evacuation is proceeding well, keep an eye on the Gloucesters. If Cornelia deploys them, let me know ASAP. Tsunade, keep the civilians safe. If the situation becomes untenable, retreat._ "

" _Got it. Where's our other ally?_ "

"I'm right here."

Harry stifled a yelp of surprise, when he saw CC standing next to him, mostly in Zero's outfit, save for the mask. " _Dammit, don't do that!_ " Harry hissed.

CC merely smirked slightly, lying down next to where Harry was squatting. "I'm over seven hundred years old. I need to get my entertainment from somewhere." Her demeanour became all-business as she spoke over her own radio. "If you need a callsign for me, call me Hecate. Did you hear that, Zero?"

" _Yes, I hear you, Hecate. Your_ nom de guerre _suits you. I'm starting the operation proper._ "

"Be careful, all of you," CC said. "Do all of you have Portkeys?"

" _Yes. Warlock told me the activation phrase. Tsunade?_ " Lelouch asked.

" _Yes. Warlock has one too. Hecate, Warlock told me you have spares, right?_ "

CC nodded. "Yes. Don't get careless enough to force me to get them to you…"

* * *

The battle at Saitama proceeded, initially, like Shinjuku. Initially being the operative term. It seemed that, once Harry and Kallen managed to evacuate as many civilians as they could, Cornelia's soldiers lost interest in attempting to do so, instead going after Lelouch and the Yamato Alliance.

As if sensing his thoughts, CC said, "Cornelia was less interested in killing civilians than she was in flushing Zero out of hiding. If it's a waste of resources to pursue them, then she won't bother. She may be ruthless, but she's pragmatic."

" _What's to stop her from trying this again if she fails?_ " Harry asked, scowling at the thought of someone willing to do this just for flushing someone out.

"She knows Zero won't fall for the same trap again." CC frowned, peering at the distant command centre. "Warlock, look."

Harry peered through the binoculars, and scowled. " _Zero!_ " he snapped through the radio. " _Cornelia's sent in the Gloucesters!_ "

CC then sent locations of the Gloucesters, before adding, "If things get too bad, get out of there."

After a moment, Lelouch's voice broke through again. " _Damn! The Yamato Alliance aren't listening to me, they're panicking! Half of them are retreating without any plan, and the others are charging! Most of them are already dead! Warlock, Tsunade, Hecate, if you're done, get the hell out of there. I'm going to do as best as I can, and then use the Portkey if I'm cornered._ "

CC shook her head. "I'm here as a back-up plan. Zero, what is your location? I'll be there just in case."

Lelouch, reluctantly, gave his location, and the immortal began sprinting away. Harry spoke to Kallen. " _Should we retreat?_ "

Eventually, his redhaired girlfriend said, " _Yes_ …"

* * *

Thankfully, the four of them got back without any trouble, the Portkey travel rough (CC actually vomiting) but working well otherwise, though it had been hairy for Lelouch at one stage. He'd managed to get close to the command centre by blending in with the other Sutherlands withdrawing from the battlefield, but Cornelia then demanded that the people present open up their cockpits and remove their helmets, with Lelouch deciding to leave before they got to him. Though not before writing a mocking note for Cornelia as a final gesture.

Lelouch ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm himself down. "Okay, I admit it, you were right. I was too cocky, and the Yamato Alliance, once things went south, were unreliable. It wasn't just Cornelia I underestimated, but her men. Still…we at least helped the people of Saitama."

"And with that Patronus, I've probably helped sow discord between Cornelia and Euphemia," Harry said.

"I'm still considering whether to slap one or both of you," Kallen sighed quietly. "I understand why Harry did this, trying to help the civilians, but you, Lelouch…were you really so eager to defeat Cornelia?"

"The civilians were also my concern," Lelouch said.

"And so was your ego," Kallen said. "If it weren't for Harry's Portkeys, you may not have had an exit strategy, and Cornelia will have captured you. This isn't a game, Lelouch. While I can't say I'll miss the Yamato Alliance, given that they nearly got my friends killed before, they still died with you leading them. What if this happens while you're leading my friends?"

Lelouch calmed himself with a visible effort. "That was part of the reason I didn't ask you to come, or the others. I took a gamble, one that I didn't want already valuable allies to pay for if I lost. I had hoped that the Yamato Alliance would be able to follow direction, enough to retreat in an orderly manner when necessary. Instead, they panicked. I'll give your group this much, when Suzaku appeared, they were more professional." His purple eyes met Kallen's blue. "Kallen…if the king doesn't lead, does that mean he's not worth the other pieces' loyalty? I won't ask you to do anything I won't do myself, including risking my life."

"Then let's hope Cornelia doesn't try a repeat performance," Harry said. "What about targeting Refrain dealers and manufacturers?"

Lelouch nodded. "It's good PR, and as long as we're focusing on those, Cornelia may let us go for now."

"What about allying with other resistance groups?" Kallen asked, not exactly mollified by Lelouch's speech, but letting it go for now. "Should we try and do so? We've had more incidents since your debut. The official media is covering it up for the most part, but I've seen the signs."

"Not for now," Lelouch said. "The JLF has been mostly resting on its laurels since Tohdoh's Miracle, as you told me, Kallen. The temperament of the smaller groups vary. I want people who are willing to fight for justice, and I do mean justice, not just destroying or killing to avenge wounded pride. And can you be sure that they will fight by my side? Especially if I do not attack Britannian civilians?"

"…I guess not," Kallen said quietly.

"Exactly. I won't lie, war has a bad habit of eroding righteousness, or rather, true righteousness. I want to maintain the moral high ground as much as I can. If that means turning on the worst of the resistance groups, the ones who resort to full-on terrorism, then I will."

"A dangerous path all the same," CC said, speaking up for the first time since their return…and her unfortunate chundering. "I've fought alongside many revolutionaries and rebels. Many either die as heroic martyrs, or live to become villains. Look at what happened to Gilles de Rais."

"Who?" Harry asked.

Lelouch shot him a look. "One of Jeanne d'Arc's supporters. After Jeanne was burned at the stake by the Britannians, Gilles, allegedly, fell into depravity, becoming an infamous serial killer of the day. His guilt is disputed a little by modern scholars, but…"

"He was obsessed with her," CC sniffed. "It could have been fabrication, but I still think he was capable of it. So are you capable of stopping yourselves from falling into the darkness from the tightrope you walk?"

Harry and Kallen looked at each other, before back at the immortal woman. "We'll try," Kallen said. "Harry and I have stopped each other from falling. We can do the same for Lelouch."

CC chuckled, before she looked at Lelouch. "Never abandon these two, boy. You'll definitely need them in the time to come."

"Yes, indeed. I'm thinking of a name for the group I intend to create, the one that will accrete around the group you fight with," Lelouch said. "As shadowy champions of justice, those who will stand for those without power, I was thinking the Black Knights."

Harry snorted almost automatically. "No, sorry, sorry, I mean, it's a good name and all," Harry said, waving a conciliatory hand at an irritated Lelouch. "And I get why. Knights are supposed to be noble, champions of honour and justice." Then, an idea came to him. An impish notion, meant partly as a joke, as a sock to the face of his former mentor, a man who had kept so much from him. Maybe it might work, if they ever came to find him, to bring them to him. "But I do have another idea. Back home…I told you Dumbledore brought together a vigilante group to fight Voldemort. It was a bit ineffectual, in hindsight, but the name? The name was a good one. I reckon it'd do well to symbolise the rebirth of Japan, even the world if we get that far."

"And what name is that?" Lelouch asked, both annoyed and yet intrigued.

"…The Order of the Phoenix."

To Harry's surprise, the Britannian prince actually considered that. Then, a smirk played across his features. "Hmm…that has potential. I have it! The Phoenix Knights. That is what we will call ourselves. Champions of justice, stewards of the rebirth of Japan, and the world. Yes…the Phoenix Knights…it has a good ring to it, doesn't it?"

 **CHAPTER 9 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Saitama ended up being a disaster again, at least where fighting Cornelia was concerned. But it seems that the quartet have found not only the resolve to keep fighting, but a new nom de guerre. The name of the Phoenix Knights came about in correspondence with OBSERVER01, though I didn't take their actual suggestion, Order of the Dark Phoenix. But hybridising the names was their idea in the first place.**

 **Review-answering time!** **YDdraigGoch94** **: I am aware of** ** _Akito the Exiled_** **, but am yet to watch it.**

 **DZ2 : Crap, I forgot that was the cat's name. -_- **

**DalkonCledwin** **: That WAS the main reason that I made Harry capable of removing the Geass state: to give the story an out from the Euphienator incident. It doesn't necessarily mean things won't go to shit in a different way, only that Euphie will have a better chance of surviving…**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	11. Chapter 10: Tea with the Enemy

**CHAPTER 10:**

 **TEA WITH THE ENEMY**

Kallen chewed him out later over Saitama, but at least Harry was better off than Lelouch, who got a slap to the face shortly before they parted ways. One from Kallen, and another from CC. Once back home, the two had dinner in privacy, with Kallen's stepmother off at some function or other, and Kallen's biological mother bustling around, looking too happy for her own good, given her situation.

As they had dinner, Kallen said to Harry, "Your stupidity today aside…"

"I was more acting on my inner Gryffindor today. You'd be a Gryffindor too, Little Miss Hotblooded. I know how you act every time you're in a Knightmare Frame," Harry said impishly.

"Quiet, you, or you'll lose your touching privileges," Kallen threatened, albeit half-heartedly. They were still at second base, albeit in private at home, and both of them enjoyed it too much to break that off. Eventually, she said, "Your…Gryffindor-ness aside, I think we did good today. Hopefully, Lelouch has had a wakeup call. And we got the civilians out of there. Do you think Euphemia did anything to Cornelia regarding the civilians?"

"I doubt she could do anything meaningful. Cornelia, from what we know, loves her sister dearly, but their relationship while Cornelia's Viceroy and Euphemia's her subordinate will have to be professional except in private. What I did was sow discord, but I don't know whether it'll have any meaningful results. But it could. For one thing, it could force Cornelia to avoid targeting civilians again, even if she was avoiding repeating her actions to lure out Lelouch and myself. For another, Euphemia could find a political solution that could actually work to help Japan, though the question is whether her father would support that."

"Do you think she would do that?" Kallen asked. "She's a bit like Suzaku, from what we heard from Lelouch and saw that day."

"But she's also better than Suzaku in many other regards. Firstly, unlike Suzaku, as a princess, she's well placed enough to make a difference," Harry said. "Secondly, she's probably had to deal with enough of the realities of politics, especially within the Britannian court, to know how to work within the system. Thirdly, she actually showed that she's willing to stand up to her own countrymen to make a point. Okay, Suzaku stood up for us, or at least Lelouch and CC, when Clovis' goons cornered us, but still…Euphemia's got more spine than he does."

Kallen nodded in agreement. "But all the same, with all her power and potential, would they allow her to take any action that flies in the face of their doctrine? Not to mention this conspiracy CC alludes to. Remember, Lelouch saw the Emperor in his vision when he gained a Geass, and CC didn't deny that he had a Geass. Nunnally was under the influence of one, made to be blind. Why? And who is this VV that she referred to?"

"…I don't know. She's being deliberately vague, but she has claimed that if we learn too much, we could be in danger. I'm inclined to believe her, if only because she has a vested interest in keeping Lelouch alive as part of this contract." He shook his head. "Another bloody complication. CC is useful, especially if we decide to get a Geass, but if her unwillingness to give up vital info gets someone killed, then I'm going to try and get it out of her by Legilimency. I don't know whether I can do that, given that I only had it done to me, but frankly, I'll probably be too angry to care."

Kallen hummed in agreement. "And there's the upcoming school trip to Lake Kawaguchi. Should we go?"

Harry shrugged. Why not? Maybe for once they could relax, and have a time to themselves, like kids…

* * *

It was a couple of days later that they finally met, at least properly, Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald and Dame Villetta Nu. Harry had met the latter back during the Shinjuku attack, albeit in disguise and with her under the power of Geass, while the former, he had only met for the first time at Lelouch's debut as Zero. They had visited the school, nominally to suggest students join the Britannian military after they left school. In truth, they were here to meet with the core members of what was now becoming the Phoenix Knights.

Lelouch at least had the sense to discuss this with Harry and Kallen, and their first instinct was to refuse. But, given that they were now co-conspirators, Lelouch had managed to persuade them.

They were in the dining room of Lelouch's quarters at lunch, Nunnally taking it with the Student Council. Harry and Kallen were, understandably, wary of having people who, mere weeks before, had been their most ardent enemies, and they could tell that the feeling was mutual, especially where Villetta was concerned.

As they had tea after finishing lunch, Gottwald peered at Harry and Kallen, while CC, sitting nearby, munched on yet another pizza. "So, you're Warlock. And you are that Knightmare Frame pilot. I have to say, I'm curious to see what you would do in a Knightmare that wasn't so out of date," he said in his deep, resonant voice.

"I'd consider that high praise, though coming from a Purist…" Kallen said, screwing up her face in disgust.

"Ms Stadtfeld, I believe you fail to grasp the realities of politics within the Britannian court," Gottwald said, looking at her coldly. "Not to mention my own impressions of what happened to Lelouch and Nunnally. When Lady Marianne was murdered, many of those who depended on her favour in court fell out of favour. The Ashfords, for example, the very people who founded this school, were made _persona non grata_ in the homeland. Not by the Emperor himself, of course, but by those who despised Marianne. She was of relatively common birth, after all. Her line was noble, but her station, originally, was not. Those who are loved, after all, can rouse powerful hatred."

Lelouch nodded. "Which makes my father's refusal to investigate all the more puzzling, considering his apparent love for her."

"I agree, your highness," Gottwald said, before returning to Kallen. "I myself fell out of favour, and I also blamed myself for letting the assassins get her. When Lelouch and Nunnally were reported to be murdered at the hands of the people whom they had been given to for safekeeping, I took out my anger and frustration on the Elevens."

"Japanese," Kallen corrected sharply. "And what makes you think I would forgive you for such a thing?"

"I don't expect any," Gottwald said. "I personally think that my prince has taken an unnecessary risk in involving you and your group, let alone trusting you. However, I am in agreement that the system does need to change, if only to ensure that the likes of Marianne's murder does not happen again, let alone the treatment of Nunnally. You fight for your own reasons, and I will do the same." His eyes flickered over to Harry. "And a wizard from another world…one who would be Britannian, and yet who has chosen to fight on the side of the…Japanese."

"I have issues with racists and bullies," Harry said, fixing Gottwald with a glare. "And it's only on Lelouch's say-so that we're agreeing to this meeting. Otherwise, I'll erase your memories of this meeting, and I can't say I'd not get your toilet training into the bargain."

CC snickered, while Villetta Nu scoffed. "The feeling is mutual, Warlock. Don't think I forgot about waking up to find myself looking like a clown."

"And why are you in the Purists, Villetta Nu?" Kallen asked, an acid tone to her voice.

Nu scoffed again. "Aside from Lord Jeremiah's request? Advancement. I may have been born a Britannian, but my lineage, as far as the nobility is concerned, is suspect, especially given the colour of my skin and my Portuguese roots(1)."

"So, what, you've had people being racist to you, and so, you're being racist to other people?" Harry snarked. " _Wow._ "

"And why do you fight for the Japanese, then, Harry Potter?" Gottwald asked, shooting Nu a look to prevent her from retorting. "Why do you have issues with…racists and bullies?"

"Because my parents were murdered by a man who thought those of impure blood, and those who disagreed with him, had to die," Harry said, meeting the man's gaze with a harsh glare. "A wizard who believed that magic belonged only to those whose families had pure wizarding blood. He tried to murder me when I was not even two, and he didn't stop even after he was declared dead. His followers managed to avoid being punished for their actions, and remained high up in society. My uncle and aunt raised me, or rather, they made me into their servant and punching bag, as did their son, my cousin. One of my teachers hates my guts because I remind him too much of my father, and bullies me just like my father bullied him. In three of the five years I was at wizarding school, I had the students turn on me because they were stupid, either thinking I was a lunatic, an attention whore, or a dark lord in the making. And I have no idea whether my friends were taken down by that dark wizard, all because they had impure blood, or opposed him. So you'll forgive me, Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald, if I have issues with such people. Because if you truly treasured Lady Marianne's legacy, you would have done your best to live up to it."

As Gottwald recoiled, Lelouch looked at Harry. "Settle down, Harry. I have already taken Jeremiah to task about that issue already, not to mention about Suzaku. The same for Villetta. I am not expecting you to like each other, only to cooperate."

"Right. But just remember, I'm a wizard. And as Tolkien said, they are subtle and quick to anger. Only, I'm not subtle," Harry warned. "Threaten anyone I care about, and there will be consequences."

Silence fell over the table for a time. Eventually, Nu broke it. "I still find it hard to believe. Both magic, and this Geass power, not to mention this woman's immortality."

"This woman has a name, you know," CC remarked.

"CC is not a proper name," Nu retorted. "I would have been more likely to believe that your name was Nemo or Jane Doe."

"Area Eleven is not a proper name either," Kallen sniped. Nu merely shot her a brief glare.

Lelouch cleared his throat. "In any case, there are some issues we're definitely concentrating on. Through their contacts, Jeremiah and Villetta have managed to find information on various producers of Refrain. It's an open secret that certain corrupt individuals, mostly nobles, have been funding the synthesis, distribution and sale of Refrain. They were able to find those people, people that Clovis tacitly allowed to continue distribution, if only because he cared more about pacifying the Japanese than the local economy. Cornelia would take an opposing view: Refrain would cut into the productivity of the Japanese workers, and she despises graft and corruption."

"What about users?" Harry asked. "They'd suffer withdrawal symptoms or something. Are there any antidotes or treatments? I mean, they use methadone to treat heroin withdrawal."

"I doubt that they bothered to create such a thing," Lelouch said.

"Not true," Villetta said. "I once heard from one of our interrogation specialists that Refrain was derived from an experimental truth serum, one designed to both enhance recall of memories and loosen any inclination to conceal the truth(2). It was deemed a failure, as it was almost impossible to interrogate the person while they were under the influence, but a counter-agent was created at the time of testing. It wouldn't prevent withdrawal symptoms, but it may ease them. Admittedly, my knowledge of pharmaceuticals is not extensive, so I don't know whether it would be an effective treatment, let alone if it's easily synthesised."

"Then it's worth looking into," Lelouch said.

Gottwald cleared his throat. "Your highness…what of Suzaku Kururugi? I'll admit, he's an excellent Devicer, which, when combined with the Lancelot…"

"Lancelot?" Kallen asked. "Is that what they called that Knightmare?"

"Yes. Blame the Earl of Pudding's obsession with Arthurian nomenclature," Gottwald said. "Private Kururugi is the only Devicer they have capable of piloting the Lancelot, unless they decide to get one of the Knights of the Round to do so."

"True, but he is less of a threat than that sounds. My sister does have issues with deploying Numbers alongside her own men, doesn't she?" Lelouch asked.

"Indeed she does."

"Then it is less likely that Cornelia will deploy the Lancelot, unless her desire to survive or achieve victory wins out over her pride," Lelouch said. "Her own men are enough of a threat in any case, as Saitama proved. I'd hoped in some small corner of my soul that their reputations were overblown, but that wasn't the case."

After a moment, Harry decided to add something. It could go very badly wrong, or it could go right, especially with the two Purists on board. "Lelouch…I think we need to keep a closer eye on Nina Einstein. She's working on something that could go very badly for other people."

"Why is that?" Lelouch asked. "I believe Nina had some interest in nuclear physics, particularly that related to sakuradite and radioactive materials like uranium."

"Lelouch, she is probably about to become the first person to discover nuclear fission in this world," Harry said. "Or rather, to discover its applications. Dangerous applications."

"What applications are those?" Jeremiah asked. "Weaponry? How can nuclear fission, whatever that is, lead to weapons? Would they poison people with radiation?"

"Only the survivors," Harry said, looking at Gottwald. "Back in my world, we had a very famous person with the name of Einstein, Albert Einstein. While he wasn't the man who discovered nuclear fission, he formulated a famous equation, E=MC^2. A friend of mine once explained that, if you turn mass into energy, it's equivalent to that mass accelerated to the speed of light. And nuclear reactions cause mass to be turned into energy. Small amounts, but with big results."

"I fail to see the point," Nu said, frowning.

"No, I do. E=MC^2, equivalent to Newton's Second Law of Motion, where force is equal to mass multiplied by acceleration," Lelouch said, horror blossoming over his features. "The speed of light is equivalent to a little under 300 million metres per second. A single gram would release, assuming an equivalent to Newton…" He fished out a calculator, and began typing in numbers. "Approximately 90 terajoules of energy," he whispered in horror when he was finished.

Gottwald paled. "Do you have any idea what that is in TNT-equivalents?"

"I don't know. Kilotons, at least," Lelouch said.

" _Kilotons_ of TNT?" Nu demanded, also horrified. "All from a single gram of matter turning into energy?"

"Villetta," Harry said, looking at the dark-skinned Purist, "when the first nuclear weapons were used in war on my world, they destroyed most of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Those too close to the bomb were vaporized, reduced to burnt shadows on the walls. Many of the survivors were horribly burned, or died of radiation sickness. I think Nina is thinking about using it as a form of energy production, but even then, it creates horrible radioactive byproducts. And in your world, technology is far more advanced. Imagine what Nina could create as a weapon given the time and inclination."

"I shudder to think," Gottwald said. "So, what do we do about her? Kill her? Suborn her?"

"I'll see about bringing her in discreetly somehow," Lelouch decided, looking shaken. "I'd rather not resort to such weapons myself. I am willing to get my hands dirty to change the world, but such a weapon has to be a last resort, or a Sword of Damocles at worst. Better to deny the enemy such weapons."

"And what makes you think your…allies in that group of insurgents won't use that sort of thing themselves?" Nu asked.

Kallen shot Nu a glare. "Harry has already told me of the suffering those bombs caused in his world. I would gladly use it against the Emperor and his ilk, against the military, but against normal people? For the sake of cowing them or annihilating them? I don't want to kill unarmed men, women and children in their own homes." _Unlike you_ was left unsaid.

"I chose their group precisely because they went out of their way to avoid civilian deaths," Lelouch said. "They stole the poison gas to expose Clovis' crimes, not to use it themselves. Well, that, and I was admittedly stuck with them during that mess in Shinjuku, but I had researched Warlock and the group he was affiliated with. Make no mistake, it will probably happen, sooner or later, but I don't want to do so deliberately, and I want to avoid doing it inadvertently. The Phoenix Knights will rely on a reputation of being fighters for justice, not as terrorists. Killing civilians caught in the crossfire is not only repugnant, but unjust."

"Leaving Nina and her possible weapon aside, what do we do for a debut?" Harry asked. "Getting rid of Refrain is good and all, but we'd need a big event to debut."

"Something will happen, sooner or later," Gottwald said. "Your appearance as Warlock galvanized a number of the smaller groups, and Zero's did even more so. Something's sure to happen soon."

They didn't know it at the time, but the debut of the Phoenix Knights would happen soon, at the floating hotel on Lake Kawaguchi. There, an incident would take place that would serve as the backdrop for things to change, for better and for worse…

 **CHAPTER 10 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Harry and Kallen have had tea with Gottwald and Nu, and they've discussed various things.**

 **Now, if you're wondering at how I'm characterising Gottwald and Nu, I'm doing it in such a way that it isn't unlike what they are in canon, but developed plausibly. Gottwald and Nu are still antagonistic towards Harry and Kallen, but they are personally loyal to Lelouch, who has basically gotten Gottwald to swear loyalty to him. I thought at first it'd be like** ** _Code Geass: The Prepared Rebellion_** **, but I actually re-read a couple of fics, and felt that what Lelouch did, in some regards, in** ** _Code Geass: Redo of the Rebellion_** **by Sir Kai was more appropriate.**

 **That being said, both Gottwald and Nu grudgingly admire Kallen and Harry's respective abilities. And they will grow into becoming better allies as the story progresses, with Gottwald and Nu eventually getting over their racism. Harry's snark about Nu becoming the thing she hates was meant as a point. You don't really get this in the show, admittedly, but there's some inferences to be made.**

 **Now, before I get to the review-answering, I should point out that this will be the last chapter for a while, at least until I watch more of** ** _Code Geass_** **. Don't worry, I intend to watch more episodes very soon. In the meantime, if you haven't already, check out my** ** _Overlord_** **crossover** ** _Plenipotent Player Prince_** **. That still has a few chapters left to update…**

 **Review-answering time! I actually left what Lelouch wrote to Cornelia vague for a reason. Partly because this story is mostly from the POV of Kallen and Harry, but also because I couldn't figure out what he wrote. I'm guessing he did something like Captain Jack Sparrow, writing something like** ** _This is the day you'll remember as the day you ALMOST caught Zero_** **.**

 **DZ2** **: Sadly, NOT going to happen. In fact, Dumbledore is gonna be** ** _pissed_** **Harry appropriated the name for what he thinks of as a terrorist group…**

 **LoamyCoffee** **: As much as I love CC as a character, there are times when I think she needs to be taken down a peg or two, shown that she is still human. Plus, a Portkey is a novel experience to her, even with her own immortality, though novel doesn't necessarily mean good in this case…**

 **Guest** **: Maybe Harry might suggest the Hogwarts motto instead for similar reasons. It does mean 'don't tickle a sleeping dragon', after all, which is not dissimilar to one of the royal mottos,** ** _Nemo me impune lacessit_** **, or 'nobody attacks me with impunity'.**

 **1\. I vaguely recall reading about this on TV Tropes' character listing for Villetta, that there was speculation that she is of Portuguese descent thanks to her name, amongst other theories. I decided on her skin colour being a factor against her in Britannian society, despite the fact that she is a born Britannian.**

 **2\. I thought I was the first to think of this, but when I re-read Ignatius Thunderblade's _Code Geass: Re_ , where Refrain is actually used as a truth serum, I couldn't be sure whether I was remembering that, so I thought I'd point that out here. I thought Refrain would be a faulty truth serum, an experimental one. It makes sense, doesn't it?**


	12. Chapter 11: The Trip

**CHAPTER 11:**

 **THE TRIP**

"…You really are a closet Bond villain, you know that?" Harry asked as the others, save for Kallen, CC and Ohgi, looked around their new headquarters. A massive mobile headquarters that Lelouch had apparently acquired from a noble who owed him favours. Those who knew Lelouch's identity were with him in his office in the HQ, save for Nagata.

Lelouch, having removed his Zero helmet, smirked. "While I don't know the reference, I can guess what it means. You mean someone flamboyant, megalomaniacal?"

"If I'm ever able to go back home, I'm definitely bringing back videos of the James Bond films," Harry said. "Unrealistic and quite a bit chauvinistic, but they're still awesome. Anyway, you're practically in need of a fluffy white cat to stroke, and a scar on your eyelid."

CC cocked her head, peering at the slender Britannian teenager as if to imagine said accoutrements, and then chuckled. Lelouch cleared his throat gently. "I have uniforms for us. Two sets. One's for operations, and will be coloured rather darkly. The other is what you could call a dress uniform. You also have special caps with visors. I have sourced a form of plastic, the same I use for my helmet, for the visor that will not only help conceal part of your face, but equally as important, blocks my Geass. Given what CC has said about Runaway Geass, not to mention the possibility of you getting in the way should I use it, it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Maybe this way, we can start stealing supplies in earnest," Harry murmured. "I mean, I did that occasionally, but there was only so much we could steal and store. It's not like we had a lot of storage in our old HQ."

"We can fit some Knightmares in here, but I intend to get them through other channels," Lelouch said. "Stealing too much from the Britannians may cause them to try certain tricks, like leaving homing beacons on materiel. In any case, I do have a fairly substantial sum of money tucked away."

"Yeah, didn't you gamble with cocky nobles who liked to put money on chess?" Kallen asked. "Shirley was complaining about that."

Lelouch chuckled ruefully. "Remember how I ended up in that truck? I had just finished fleecing a particularly arrogant noble who was tormenting a contact of mine, and Rivalz was my chauffeur. You nearly ran us off the road, you crashed into that construction site, and when I saw the onlookers just…well, looking on instead of helping…"

"You played the Good Samaritan, and, well…look where that got you," Harry said. "You're now leading a rebellion against Daddy Dearest. Sigmund Freud would have a field day."

"I had always intended to strike back at Britannia and my father, ever since he exiled Nunnally and myself here, not to mention the invasion," Lelouch said. "Geass and my contact with you guys merely brought forward my timetable by a decade or two. That being said, it'd be foolish to think that we can simply win overnight. It's another reason why hostage situations would not go well: even with any concessions made to the hostage-takers, they can simply be reversed, or else leave them open to further retaliation. And Cornelia applies her own ruthlessness to such situations: she's been known to kill the hostages along with their captors. Anyone attempting such a thing would end up gaining nothing but their deaths."

"There'll always be someone who think they can buck the trend," Harry said. "What about Refrain?"

"Our informants got back to me. There's an added wrinkle. My informants told me that members of the Knightpolice are suspected to be helping with synthesising and distributing Refrain. What's more, the Chinese Federation seem to be the ones supplying it. I'm guessing they're undermining both the Britannians and the Japanese, hoping to take advantage somehow. The High Eunuchs are contemptible schemers on a par with those in the Pendragon court," Lelouch said. "On another note, Harry, Kallen, are you still set on going to the Lake Kawaguchi Hotel?"

Kallen nodded. "I thought about it…and…well, from a practical point of view, it helps maintain our cover. Not to mention there's a convention going on there for Sakuradite exporters. Know your enemy, right? And to tell the truth…after all that we've been through, I'd really like to relax a little. I can't really do that at home with that bitch of a stepmother of mine looking down her nose at me, not to mention my own mother…I mean, I understand why she stays there, for my sake, but…" She shook her head. "I'm sorry. Both of my mothers are an issue with me at the moment, and my father is off in Pendragon doing whatever the hell he does over there. Probably currying favour with the nobles while keeping as great a distance between him and my stepmother as possible."

"I understand," Lelouch said quietly. "A world where your mother can be that in fact, instead of having to maintain a not-so-polite fiction…that's what you desire. I doubt lies can ever be banished from the world…but it's better to have the least amount. Still…be careful. Our actions have stirred other groups into action, and with the Sakuradite Summit going on, it may be a prime target…"

* * *

On the trip over to Lake Kawaguchi, Harry and Kallen shared a compartment with Milly, Shirley, and Nina. "Harry," the timid genius began, "I actually did some work on the possible products of uranium fission. And…you were right. Some of them are already known to be badly toxic and intensely radioactive. Nuclear fusion using hydrogen would be cleaner, but containment would be an issue."

"Why're you talking about such boring stuff, Nina?" Shirley asked. "Anyway, aren't we meant to be on holiday, away from such stuff? And where's Lulu?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "He detests that nickname, Shirley. In any case, something came up with Nunnally. Between that and other stuff that's been going on…"

"But you managed to come along?" Milly asked.

"I want to get away from my stepmother," Kallen said bluntly. "With my father in Pendragon, she's being overbearing, to say the least."

Milly and Shirley read between the lines, that what Kallen wanted to say was, _She's being a raging bitch_. "You're not the only one," Milly said quietly. "My mother's being…well, something of a social climber. She's considering marrying me off."

Harry shot the blonde teen a look of horror. "Without your consent?"

"Marriage contracts and arranged marriages are very much a thing in noble society. I'd say even with a family whose fortunes had fallen as far as ours…but that actually makes things more desperate," Milly said. "And there's only so much my grandfather can do."

"…Okay, my stepmother isn't that bad," Kallen said, her blue eyes showing sympathy for Milly's plight. "Any idea to whom?"

"No…but the latest idea being tossed around is Lloyd Asplund."

"The Earl of Pudding?" Harry asked. "I've heard he's a bit of a nutter, an eccentric at best. Anyway, isn't he, like in his late twenties or his thirties?"

"Welcome to the world of Britannian nobility," Milly said bitterly.

Harry decided to change the subject back to Nina and her work, Shirley's interruption aside. "So, any other interesting parts to your research?"

"I don't think it's anything you'd understand, Harry," Nina said. "I mean in terms of the calculations. I don't want anyone hurt by my work, though." She shivered. "Not even Elevens deserve radiation poisoning."

"Few people would," Harry remarked. Though he could think of a few people who deserved such a fate.

"Hey, off the morbid stuff," Shirley said. "Harry, how did you get Nunnally's eyes better? She said something about _reiki_. What is that?"

" _Reiki_ is a form of energy-manipulation used for healing, but I said that as a sort of cover story. Nunnally's eye problems were psychogenic, and I'm a sort of amateur hypnotist. I was able to get her to open her eyes through hypnotic suggestion. I can't fix her legs, though. Lelouch is grateful I was able to do that much for Nunnally, though. She's a sweet kid, she didn't deserve what happened to her."

"Yes, I agree," Milly said solemnly. "Still, I think a trip out to this hotel would have done her a world of good. Nunnally…doesn't get to go many places, because of her disability. Even with her eyesight restored, well, there's not many places that are wheelchair friendly. Blame the whole Social Darwinism thing going on..."

* * *

Harry thought the Lake Kawaguchi Hotel to be rather ostentatious, a floating hotel meant for luxury stays and conventions. He had given Kallen a Portkey that would take her back to the new hideout, just in case. He'd done the same thing for himself. He was probably being too paranoid, but he remembered Moody's shouts of " _Constant Vigilance!_ "

He and Kallen stayed protectively close to Nina: the girl didn't generally venture far from the Britannian Settlement where Tokyo once stood, and indeed mostly lived on the campus of Ashford Academy. The shy, possibly agoraphobic girl seemed to take comfort in their escorting her. Harry hoped that he had managed to take the edge off her xenophobia.

He had been like her in some regards, a shy, scrawny thing. Not xenophobic or agoraphobic, but until the Hogwarts letter came, he had been rather timid in many regards, beaten down by the Dursleys. But still filled with so much potential. He had been a wizard, and Nina was a genius who eclipsed even Hermione.

The reminder of his friend stabbed at Harry. Had he tried hard enough to go back? Or was he so resigned to their deaths that he couldn't be bothered making more of an effort? The last time he has seen Hermione, she had gone down from a curse used by Dolohov. Ron was being attacked by weird floating brains with tendrils. He hadn't known if they were still alive even before he ended up going through the Veil. And it had been an entire year. Even if they survived the Department of Mysteries, who was to say they survived anything that came after?

Out of the gathered students, only Kallen knew why Harry's eyes suddenly glistened, why his mien became melancholy. She had seen that look many times past, and gently held his hand until it passed, for now…

* * *

"Milly probably thinks we're sleeping together, given that we have the same room," Harry said.

"One room, two beds," Kallen said, sitting on her own. "…Not that I would mind sharing a bed, as long as we kept our clothes on," she admitted.

Harry smiled, even as he used his wand to check for any bugs. Finding none, he carefully signalled her, though he put up a Privacy Charm to be sure. He then sat down on his bed. "I think we need to consider something. Now that Lelouch is escalating, we'll need to think carefully about asking CC for a Geass of our own. Especially for you. I have my magic, Lelouch has Geass, I think you need a better edge. I mean, you're still good at combat outside and inside a Knightmare, but…"

"Yeah…but something doesn't feel right. I know what you're saying. But can we trust CC?"

"…I don't think she's withholding information out of any real malice. It's more that she has her own agenda. That being said, I think I have an idea as to what her true wish is."

"You do? And what's that?"

"She's seven hundred years old, Kallen," Harry said. "What do you think?"

Kallen got it fairly quickly, and she blanched. "She wants to die."

Harry nodded. "Dumbledore told me, when discussing the Flamels wanting to stop using their Elixir of Life, said that to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. I personally think that's bollocks, but if you're that old, have gone through so much, seen so many friends and family die…maybe that's all she wants to do. And only a Geass user can kill her, somehow. I mean, that'd explain why only a Geass user can grant her wish. I'm guessing, really, but…"

"…It makes sense," Kallen said. "Well, you and I are going to have a talk with her when we get back…"

* * *

It was during a dinner function that evening that things got more complicated. They saw a familiar face, albeit with a different hairstyle and glasses, as a basic disguise. When their eyes met, Harry gestured to her with his eyes, and she nodded slightly, going off to a corner. "This is the second time we've bumped into each other, Euphie," Harry said quietly. "What're you doing here?"

"I came incognito to supervise the convention of Sakuradite miners and exporters," Euphie said. "I've already seen the others from Ashford Academy. I must confess…at the moment, my sister and I are at odds somewhat. I'm not at liberty to discuss the details, but one of her recent military operations involved an unacceptable level of collateral damage."

Harry and Kallen knew that she was referring to the civilians that were to be targeted by Cornelia in Saitama. "And you objected to that?" Kallen asked.

"Yes. I understand my sister's motivations. She wishes to flush out Zero and Warlock, for their culpability in Clovis' murder. But, given what Clovis did in Shinjuku…I find it hard to believe that my brother…"

"Harry saw part of it happen," Kallen said. "He had to get away in a hurry when Clovis' Royal Guard took potshots at him, probably to cover up what Clovis was doing, but they shot the elderly, children…he was in there to help a friend of ours. Our friend survived, but others, well…"

Euphemia's lips thinned. "…I see. The official reports claimed that the terrorists used poison gas, but I still saw the bullet wounds in the news footage. Still…I have known Clovis for much of my life, and I find it hard to believe he, of all people, did such a thing. I am not a fool, I know many members of my family are ruthless enough, but…forgive me, it's a painful subject that I don't want to discuss. I hope to visit Ashford Academy in an official capacity soon. I remember when the Ashfords were in favour at court, until…until Lady Marianne's assassination."

Oh joy. That meant Lelouch and Nunnally might be recognised. "We'd be honoured by your visit, Euphie," Kallen lied.

"I'm sure. Well, we'll talk later about less depressing matters," Euphie said. "I need to go back and mingle."

Harry nodded, but as the disguised princess walked away, Harry grimaced. "I think I need to excuse myself. I need to visit…"

Kallen looked at him. "The bathroom? So do I. The opulence here is making me want to vomit…"

* * *

Of all the things to happen to Harry, having a gun pressed to his neck just as he finished using the urinal wasn't something he'd expect. "Once you've put it away," hissed his assailant, his voice having a heavy Japanese accent, "don't move until I tell you to."

"…Look, there are plenty of other urinals. You don't have to hold me at gunpoint to get a turn," Harry said, as he tucked himself away and zipped up.

The gun pressed into his neck even more. "Britannian smartarse," the man snarled.

Harry merely retorted, in Japanese, turning around to face him slowly, his hands up, " _And who are you guys with?_ "

The man was surprised, before he sneered, " _We're with the Japanese Liberation Front…the_ _ **true**_ _Japanese Liberation Front. Tohdoh has sat on his laurels for too long! Our leader, Kusakabe, will get results! And if we don't get what we want…well, less Britannians in the world is only a good thing._ " A sadistic smirk touched his features.

Harry shrugged. " _I see. So…you're taking me hostage?_ "

" _Yes!_ "

" _Ohhhh_ …." Harry said, pretending sudden comprehension, before he bent his right hand down. " _Expelliarmus._ "

His would be hostage taker was flung back, crashing into the tiled wall, and the gun went into Harry's hand. He quickly grabbed the dazed man, and shoved his face into the urinal. "You should've given me time to flush," he snarled quietly as he drowned the man. The man was a killer and, judging by the way he smiled when he thought of Britannian deaths, those of civilians…Harry didn't relent until well after the man stopped spasming.

After washing his hands, he left, in time to see the door to the ladies' toilets burst open, a man smashing into the wall. Kallen soon followed, glaring, before kicking out at the prone man's throat, collapsing his windpipe and leaving him to choke to death. She looked at Harry.

"JLF. A splinter faction led by Kusakabe," Harry explained.

"Figures. That bastard tried to cop a feel," Kallen said. "Said he'd have some fun with me. What do we do?"

"Contact Lelouch. Then…well…Kallen, you can't be seen rescuing hostages. It'll ruin the whole 'sickly girl' image. Take the Portkey back to Lelouch, get him to mobilise ASAP. I'll try to rescue our friends."

"Harry, this is no time to be macho!"

"I know. I actually brought the Warlock costume along just in case. I'm not being macho…just…I have too much of that 'saving people thing' Hermione said I have, okay?"

Kallen opened her mouth to argue, before finally shaking her head. "Stay alive until we get there, or God help me, I will bring you back to life somehow and _kick your arse!_ " She took the Portkey, and then vanished after murmuring the activation phrase.

Harry then Apparated back to his room, locking it, before going through his bag. A secret compartment, layered with Notice Me Nots, held the Warlock costume. He thought back to a time when Dudley watched _Die Hard_ , and Harry watched parts of it through the grill on the cupboard door. As he donned the helmet, a line from the movie (was it weird that Alan Rickman looked like Snape?) occurred to him.

" _Yippee ki-yay, motherfuckers_ ," he murmured.

 **CHAPTER 11 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Kallen and Harry have gone to Lake Kawaguchi…only to run smack dab into problems. Those familiar with my works might notice a similarity between the JLF goon's demise and that of Shinji Matou in my** ** _Fate/Stay Night_** **crossover** ** _Hadrian Kotomine_** **. This was only deliberate once I hit upon a means for Harry and Kallen to not be in the main group of hostages when the initial takeover happens. And even that was inspired by what was done to Jackie Boy in** ** _Sin City_** **. I debated with myself whether to have Kallen participate, only to decide it would blow her 'sickly girl' cover unless she could improvise a disguise.**

 **Anyway, I've watched more episodes of** ** _Code Geass_** **, though when the next chapter comes…depends on how well I can write Harry dealing with the JLF. Still, it's pretty heartening that this story is now within the Top 5 Potterverse/** ** _Code Geass_** **crossovers, and the Top 100 (out of over 1200, as of writing) of** ** _Code Geass_** **crossovers in general.**

 **Review-answering time!** **Jlargent** **: Well, they hadn't really thought of that, and too many questions might be asked. I think Kallen would want to avoid too much scrutiny of her home life, in case her half-Japanese heritage came up. I just watched Episode 9,** ** _Refrain_** **, and the way she acted when Milly brought it up suggested that, if it became publicly known, things would get hairy for Kallen. Kallen's stepmother probably knows, and might even be holding it over Kallen's head.**

 **OBSERVER01** **: I am still strongly considering pairing Villetta with Ohgi, but I want her to actually become someone who** ** _deserves_** **Ohgi first. It'll be a gradual process, though, and mostly offscreen, but that discussion over tea was meant to be the first real steps to her character development.**

 **Guest** **(regarding Refrain and its similarities to Veritaserum combined with the Imperius): I'm just going to chalk it up to coincidence, or at least convergent evolution. Keep in mind, I read once that alcohol was actually used as a truth serum, though it was more about loosening tongues than actually forcing someone to tell the truth.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	13. Chapter 12: Hotel Hostage Hell

**CHAPTER 12:**

 **HOTEL HOSTAGE HELL**

Harry soon found the group of hostages being herded towards a storage room. He hit the JLF goons bringing up the rear with Stunners. When the other JLF goons taking point whirled, Harry yelled, " _GET DOWN!_ " and fired off another pair of Stunners, knocking down the remaining terrorists as the hostages ducked for cover. " _Into the storage room, go, go, go!_ " he barked.

The hostages scrambled into the room, while Harry, for now, Transfigured the JLF goons into pebbles, which he put into his pocket. He wasn't sure whether the Transfiguration would kill them, but they were hostage-taking bastards, he found himself not giving a shit. Harry closed the door to the storage room, and locked it with a charm. " _Is everyone okay?_ " he asked, turning to face them. Most were looking at him in fear. Oh yes, of course. He was Warlock. Nina was shivering the most. He gently knelt down next to her, and gently put a hand on her shoulder. She recoiled, but he said, " _I am not here to hurt you, girl._ "

"Stay away from her!" Milly snapped.

Warlock scoffed. " _If I wanted to hurt her, you could not stop me, Ashford._ " He looked at Nina, cowering, and gently cast a sleeping spell on her, causing her to fall asleep. " _There. She's asleep._ "

"What is an Eleven terrorist doing here?!" demanded one voice.

" _And what makes you think I am actually Japanese? As for terrorist, I prefer to be thought of as a rebel. I am not with the JLF, or rather, this little splinter faction. I just happened to be in the hotel when this happened. After all, a Sakuradite Summit is of interest, as are the people involved. Unlike these murderous bastards, though, I had no intent of targeting civilians. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time._ "

The people present began to get belligerent. _Sheep_ , Harry groaned inwardly, and he began sending those present to sleep. Soon, the only one still awake was Euphemia, who stared at him with nervous defiance. " _Euphemia li Britannia_ ," he remarked, before bowing. " _A pleasure to meet you at long last. I am Warlock._ "

Euphie stared at him, before a stern glare settled in those violet eyes. "If you intend to kill me, then get on with it. But…"

" _I do not intend to kill you or take you, or any of these people, as a hostage. Merlin, become a revolutionary and people think the bloody worst of you_ ," Warlock complained. " _I would keep you here for one reason only: your presence here is all that's keeping these people alive. After all, your sister is notorious for two things: protecting you, and wiping out hostages along with hostage-takers in situations like these. I am not with the JLF, nor do I agree with their methods. Military targets are one thing, as are criminals, but civilians whose only crime was to be born Britannian…if I murdered them, then how different would I be from Clovis?_ "

"…Did you kill him?"

" _No, and neither did Zero. That honour belonged to one of his victims. You see, Clovis, though I doubt you'll believe me, had a sideline in human experimentation. I would have killed him, though, for what he did to the people of Shinjuku…and had your sister's plans for Saitama gone through, I most definitely would not have stopped until she was dead. It was why I sent you the Patronus._ "

"That ghostly stag thing, the one that spoke with your voice…" Euphie said quietly. "So you did send it…but why?"

" _Partly to sow discord between you and your sister_ ," Harry said with a shrug. " _But also partly because…I knew you would not be a party to the slaughter of innocents. And Cornelia did so, purely to act as bait in a trap for Zero and myself. I will be your protector for now until we can figure out a way to get these people out._ "

As if on cue, his burner phone vibrated, and he knew who it was from. He answered it. " _Zero_ ," he said.

" _Warlock. Sitrep, now._ "

Lelouch's filtered voice held some irritation. " _The JLF splinter group took the guests hostage. I don't know where the staff are. Most, if not all, of the hostages are secure. I have put them to sleep, save for one. Euphemia li Britannia is here. We've been having a discussion. I am considering evac possibilities._ "

"… _Don't use Portkeys_ ," Lelouch said. " _Keep guarding them for now. Using too many of your abilities may expose them. I'll be there with the others very soon. If the other members of this JLF come to you, deal with them._ "

" _What is your plan, Zero?_ "

" _I'll use myself to get close to Kusakabe, and then deal with him. Stay alert. I'll call you if anything else turns up._ "

" _Got it. By the way, Zero…if I have the opportunity to ask Cornelia about what Clovis said…should I?_ "

There was silence on the other end of the phone, before Lelouch finally said, " _Yes. I'd rather confirm it myself, but having Euphemia as a bargaining chip would help Cornelia confess what she knows. As a reason, hint that you were someone, a child of a noble family affected by my mother's death. That should satisfy her curiosity. Tsunade has told me of Euphemia's coming visit. I'm still thinking of what to do with that. I'll call you back shortly._ "

Harry nodded, and hung up the phone. "There were two other guests here…the staff were replaced by the JLF, I think," Euphie said.

" _The two guests in question, I managed to evacuate when the attack began. You speak of Kallen Stadtfeld and her assistant, Harry Potter, correct? Unfortunately, I cannot evacuate this many people without Kusakabe noticing. Princess, do you have a mobile number for your sister?_ "

After a moment, Euphemia nodded, and rattled off a mobile number, which Harry dialled. Eventually, a harassed and harried voice spoke up. " _Who is this?!_ "

" _The best chance for you to get your sister, along with the other hostages, out alive_ ," Harry said.

"… ** _Warlock_** ," snarled Cornelia. " _You will release my sister at once, or I will_ …"

" _You labour under a misapprehension, Cornelia li Britannia_ ," Harry interjected. " _I am not in alliance with this splinter group of the Japanese Liberation Front, nor do I intend to assist these bastards. Unlike them, and unlike you or your late and unlamented half-brother, I do not target innocent lives. Be thankful I evacuated the citizens of Saitama beforehand, or you and your precious Knights would not have lived to see the next dawn. At the moment, my objective is to keep these people safe, including your sister. And I will bring them all out when the opportunity arises._ "

"… _Let me speak to her_ ," Cornelia said.

Harry did so, handing the phone to Euphie, who spoke. "Nelly! No, he hasn't done anything. I mean, aside from putting the other hostages to sleep. Yes, I can see them breathing. A couple are even snoring. No, he hasn't threatened my life. He seems more angry with you. Maybe not, but I don't think we have a choice." Euphie handed it back.

" _Satisfied?_ " Harry asked.

" _I won't be until she is out of there_ ," Cornelia stated.

" _As far as I am concerned, Euphemia is an innocent in this game_ ," Harry said. " _However, as a fee for returning her, I want to know something. Something personal that I've been meaning to ask you, Cornelia li Britannia. Consider this something you give me, gratis, for keeping your sister alive and unharmed._ "

" _I will not negotiate with terrorists and murderers._ "

" _Says the woman who let Lady Marianne's killers slip through the net._ "

The silence on the other end was deafening. Cornelia's voice was now rather dangerous in tone. "… _What did you say?_ "

" _I have sources that told me that you pulled out your security guards just before Marianne was murdered. Thanks to what was either your incompetence or malice, she was murdered, Nunnally vi Britannia was blinded and crippled, and many nobles found themselves_ persona non grata _at your father's court. Not to mention that rather infamous incident where Lelouch vi Britannia got himself exiled when he dared to call your sperm donor out on the fact that there seemed to be no investigation into the murder. Like Lelouch and Nunnally vi Britannia, like Millicent Ashford and her family, like Marianne, my family and I were ruined because of what you did, or rather, you did not do. I wonder, what favour or monies did the assassins grant for you to be able to slip through the net?_ "

" _YOU KNOW NOTHING, WARLOCK! THE ONE WHO ORDERED ME TO REMOVE THE GUARDS WAS LADY MARIANNE HERSELF!_ "

Harry's eyes widened. "… _What? What the hell do you mean, Marianne ordered the guard detail to be removed?_ "

" _Exactly that, Warlock_ ," Cornelia spat. " _Not that a traitor to Britannia would understand what loyalty is, but Lady Marianne's murder, not to mention what the Elevens did to Lelouch and Nunnally, weigh heavily on me._ "

" _Britannia betrayed me first. Turnabout is fair play. Besides, do you think Lady Marianne would want you to take out your issues on Numbers, when she herself was born a commoner? The Japanese have treated me much better than any Britannian. I also heard that Schneizel had something to do with her body._ "

" _He was ordered to take it somewhere, I don't know where. The Emperor made it very clear that any investigation into her death was unwelcome. And why do you want to know, anyway?_ "

"… _I already have a bone to pick with your sperm donor. Knowing that he truly obstructed an investigation into his wife's murder, a wife he claimed to love, is just added incentive. Given how he sent Lelouch and Nunnally here to die, how he perpetrates misery in the name of Social Darwinism…at least you love your sister. Charles zi Britannia loves nothing but power, and the sound of his own voice. I will send him to Hell one day. Please do not make me send you there to join him. However, you have told me everything I want to know. Thank you. You have my word, even if that means little to you, that Euphemia will be delivered to you safe and sound, along with the other hostages, when the time comes. My issue is not with innocents._ "

Cornelia was silent for a time, before she said, " _My advisors and I are working on a plan. When the time comes, I believe you can work out what to do. Should anything happen to Euphemia, I will not rest until I have your treacherous head here, congealed in your own vile blood(_ _1)_ _._ "

" _Meddle not in the affairs of wizards, Cornelia li Britannia, for they are subtle and quick to anger…only, I'm not subtle. Goodbye._ " He hung up, before looking at Euphie. " _I can see who got the bitchy genes. Your sister has a plan. And Zero is on his way._ "

"…Why did you ask about Marianne? Were you actually at court?"

" _I'm nobody you would know, Euphemia. Even if I removed this mask, you would not recognise this face amongst those you knew in Britannia. But know this, I will make every effort to get you and these people out alive_ …"

* * *

Sometime later, someone began hitting the door. " _Oi, open up in there!_ " someone yelled in Japanese. " _Kusakabe said they aren't acceding to the demands, so we're going to chuck one of these Britannians off the roof!_ "

" _The door lock's jammed!_ " Harry responded. " _One of the hostages tried to be clever, and my gun hit the door panel!_ "

After a moment, the Japanese said, " _Hey, who is that? Why does your voice sound funny?_ "

Harry cursed to himself. He'd forgotten about the vocoder changing his voice. Instead, he unlocked the door, let it slide open, and had his wand at the ready, ready to greet the two JLF goons outside. And he had only one thing to say to them.

"Reducto."

The two JLF terrorists had their heads pulped. Harry dragged the corpses into the storeroom, and then cleaned away the mess. As he did so, his phone trilled again. He answered it. " _A little busy, Zero!_ " he snapped irritably as he closed and locked the door.

" _I'm almost there. I've commandeered one of Hi-TV's news vans_ ," Lelouch said. " _How's the situation?_ "

" _Getting hairier_ ," Harry said. " _The JLF has decided to start killing the hostages. I'm going to be under siege soon, stopping these bastards from taking anyone out of here. I asked Cornelia about you know what. We'll talk later._ "

" _Got it. See you soon_ …"

* * *

" _FUCK YOU, ZERO! FUCK YOU, CORNELIA! AND FUCK MY LIFE!_ " Harry screamed as he and the other Phoenix Knights escorted a bunch of now awake and panicking hostages through the sinking building.

As it turned out, Cornelia's plan was to basically collapse the hotel, which was floating on the lake, and give the hostages enough time to reach the lifeboats in the ensuing panic. Lelouch had decided to add to the confusion by having the Black Knights set plastic explosives on the very floor the hostages were kept on, to act as a decoy for their moving the hostages. Lelouch had also killed Kusakabe and most of the other JLF splinter group's members using Geass. Lelouch had then had Harry dress in the Phoenix Knight version of his Warlock costume.

He was holding a still-asleep Nina in a bridal carry, helped by a Mobilocorpus spell. He knew the skittish genius would be the worst of the panicking people. Once she was safely with Milly and Shirley, he'd remove the sleeping spell.

They managed to reach the lifeboats, while Lelouch had a small yacht ready. Harry halted Euphemia before she got onto one lifeboat. " _I'll be delivering you to your sister personally_ ," he said quietly.

Euphie, after a moment, nodded, allowing them to bring her onto the yacht, where she was kept in the cabin, while the Phoenix Knights, in full regalia, perched on the bow as it, along with the lifeboats, sailed out from the wreckage of the Lake Kawaguchi Hotel. Lelouch and Harry stood most prominently at the bow, Kallen and the others flanking them, the visors on their caps concealing their faces. The uniforms (for 'dress' occasions) were red and golden, Gryffindor colours that suited the theme of the Phoenix Knights. Lelouch's costume as Zero was mostly unchanged, though it had an edge of red and gold around the cape, though Harry's new Warlock costume was all red and gold.

As the cameras Lelouch had appropriated activated, they knew it was showtime. " _My dear Britannians_ ," Lelouch began, " _don't worry. All of the hostages are safe and sound. That they were kept alive is due to my colleague Warlock. We return them to you alive and well._ "

With the lifeboats surrounding them, effectively acting as shields (Cornelia could get away with sacrificing the hostages off-camera, but not on-camera), the next part of the performance started. Harry had been given pointers on what to say by Lelouch. Lelouch began by activating the lights, showing the Phoenix Knights arranged behind them. " _People! Fear us or rally behind us as you see fit! We are the Phoenix Knights!_ "

Harry decided to make his contribution. " _The Knights of Britannia have lost their way! They were once defenders of the weak! Knights of_ _ **justice!**_ _We will reclaim that purpose! Whether you are Britannian or Japanese, if you have no one to save you in your time of need, then we will fill that need! This splinter group of the JLF took hostages in a cowardly attempt to force the Viceroy to grant concessions, and intended to murder them to get their way. They were rabid dogs who were put down, like all rabid dogs should._ "

Lelouch took up the reins once more. " _Clovis was the first to feel our wrath for murdering innocent civilians to cover up his own inhumane activities. Whether they were Japanese or not makes no difference. To fight war on a battlefield between equal opponents is one thing, but to allow a one-sided massacre of the powerless is something we will_ _ **not**_ _tolerate! Only those who are prepared to be killed are those who should kill! Oppressors of the weak, no matter who they are or how powerful they are, will ensure by their actions that we appear again._ "

" _Those with power, fear us_ ," Harry added. " _Those without it, rally behind us._ "

Then, together, he and Lelouch said, "Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus! _We, the Phoenix Knights, are judges of the world, and stewards of its rebirth!_ "

* * *

Shortly afterwards, Harry took Euphie, and Apparated over to where Cornelia was waiting, ending up on top of her own Gloucester. He had to admit, the older Britannian princess was beautiful, albeit in a hard, militaristic way. Conflicting emotions warred over her face: anger, hatred, a sort of sardonic amusement, and relief. " _I told you I would bring her back, Cornelia. Alive, and unmolested_ ," Harry said.

Cornelia reluctantly waved to the other Gloucesters and Britannian soldiers, who were aiming their weapons at Harry, to stand down. "…You actually got her out of there."

" _I try to keep my promises._ "

"Interesting motto. A sleeping dragon is never to be tickled," Cornelia said. "Still, I wonder whether you have an exit strategy for getting out of here?"

Harry shrugged, before waving a hand at Cornelia. " _I've been in so many bad situations, I have a knack for getting out of them. By the way, you're quite sexy for a militaristic fanatic. Why don't you show off your body more often? Here, this'll help._ "

Cornelia blinked, and then looked down at herself, doubtlessly wondering why Euphie looked embarrassed, and why she felt a draft. Instead of her military uniform, she was now wearing little more than a skimpy bikini with the Britannian flag printed on it. And then, she heard the clicking noise of a mobile phone's camera going off, with Harry holding said camera. " _Wow. You should model. I'm sure Britannian recruitment numbers would go way up if you posed for magazines. And with that, I'm off. Be seeing you!_ " And with a whipcrack-like noise, he was gone, never hearing Cornelia's parting scream.

" ** _WARRRRLOOOOOOOCK!_** "

* * *

Elsewhere in the world, someone was staring at the screen. They had been doing this ever since the broadcast from Japan. They had thought that their target might be there, given the rumours…but now, they had confirmation.

The person murmured, " _Expecto Patronum_ ," and an ethereal otter appeared, outlined in silvery light, before the person placed a wand to their throat.

"I've found him. It's as I thought. Harry Potter is Warlock. And he's in Japan…"

 **CHAPTER 12 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, the Phoenix Knights have made their debut, and Harry's humiliated Cornelia. But it seems that Harry has been followed to this world…**

 **Now, this may be the last chapter of the story for a while. While I have watched the next episode to be adapted,** ** _Refrain_** **, I need some time to write it, as I had some ideas already for the Hotel incident, but few for the Refrain sequences. Also, I want to watch more of the series. Incidentally, I think the second version of the opening titles (that still uses** ** _Colours_** **) is much better compared to the first one, which feels a little lacklustre by comparison.**

 **I should also hasten to add that Nina is NOT going to idolise Harry/Warlock for saving her, not like how Euphie became the object of her obsession in canon. Table-kun is safe. Instead, the fact that a rebel fighting for the Japanese saved her and kept her safe is going to cause her confusion…and maybe something of a wake-up call.**

 **On another note, I have an announcement to make. YDdraigGoch94 has asked me permission to do their own Harry/Euphie story. After some considerable debate, as well as finding out the particulars of their story, I eventually decided to give them that permission. Their story and mine have differing premises in how Harry and Euphie meet, with my story based more on the 'Animagus Lover' challenge by whitetigerwolf as it is now. However, please keep in mind that any such requests will normally be given a short and simple answer:** ** _Hell, no_** **.**

 **Review-answering time!** **edboy4926** **: I don't think that spell creates a permanent duplicate.**

 **Guest** **: Not being a fan of** ** _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_** **, I have to say, when you had "It's Showtime!", I immediately thought of Solid Snake about to do his Final Smash in** ** _Super Smash Bros Brawl_** **. But yeah, emulating Grue from** ** _Worm_** **would be good.**

 **1\. Cornelia's threat is based a little on Sharaz Jek's threat towards Morgus in the** ** _Doctor Who_** **story** ** _The Caves of Androzani_** **. Jek is also a theatrical masked terrorist fighting against a corrupt elite…but he's also not only insane and utterly murderous, but he's nowhere near as good-intentioned or handsome as Lelouch. Then again, being burned alive in superheated mud wouldn't help your physical or mental well-being.**


	14. Chapter 13: Aftermath

**CHAPTER 13:**

 **AFTERMATH**

Harry knew that his prank on Cornelia wouldn't go down so well with Kallen, but he couldn't resist. He had to promise to take her for an expensive dinner date one night, and he'd be paying (then again, the closest he got to money here, aside from a stipend given to him as part of the scholarship to Ashford Academy, was what he took from Britannian soldiers who caused trouble in the ghetto). Lelouch and CC looked on in amusement in Zero's office in the HQ of the Phoenix Knights as he was made to grovel.

After all was said and done on that front, Harry told Lelouch what he learned from Cornelia. The young man nodded. "Good thinking, implying that you were once a member of the Imperial Court without bringing my survival or that of Nunnally's into the equation, as well as trying to divert attention away from Milly. It should divert Cornelia very nicely away from your identity, at least. Still, if Cornelia is telling the truth, what you heard is worrying. I had no idea my mother gave orders for the guard to be lessened. That implies that, around the time she died, she was meeting someone she knew and trusted enough to warrant decreased security. Jeremiah did confirm Cornelia removing the security detail, but he didn't seem to know my mother had ordered Cornelia to do so."

"She also confirmed what Clovis said about Schneizel," Harry pointed out. "Plus, what happened to you two seemed to be a major sore point with her."

"It would. We'll see if we can use that to our advantage," Lelouch said.

"Lelouch, I could have sent the hostages out via Portkey, even to an area away from Cornelia," Harry said, his tone cold. "I could've then gotten out of there. I kept them safe while you prepared for our little debut, but I want you to promise next time that getting any innocents out of the way takes priority, for me at least, over your grandstanding."

"I promise. I had every faith in you to keep them safe, Harry." Lelouch smirked. "Humiliating Cornelia by both rescuing the hostages and…exposing her, shall we say, was a good night. The JLF, or at least any parts that supported Kusakabe in deed or spirit, have much to answer for. Still, I think you two should get ready to head back home. Have you got your cover stories straight?"

Kallen nodded. "Warlock found us shortly after the JLF did, and got us outside. However, due to the problems in getting everyone else out, we told him to guard the others." The redhead now looked pensive. "That being said…I have questions for CC. Questions I think you'll want to hear, Lelouch."

"And what are they?" CC asked.

"…Your greatest wish…you want to die, don't you?"

CC's golden eyes looked at them sharply, before finally, she nodded. "I wonder how you figured it out."

"You're an immortal," Harry pointed out. "Some people would get sick and tired of that."

CC began chuckling rather bleakly. "…Yes. Yes…you're correct. I walk in eternity, watching the world change, not necessarily for the better, watching my friends die, either from war or sickness or just old age. I can't have children, my immortality does not allow me to…but even if I could, I wouldn't. I couldn't stand to watch them perish. Besides…while I am not comfortable recounting exactly how I gained my immortality, I can tell you that it badly wounded my capacity to feel love of any kind. My Code bearer forced her Code upon me in an act of betrayal, that's all you need to know. Mao, I gave the Geass to in order to have him do the same thing to me, to kill me…but he grew overly attached to me. When I told him what I intended for him to do, he refused, out of infatuation. I left him, partly to get away, and…partly out of shame and remorse. I had become like the very woman who had given me my own Geass, and inflicted the curse of immortality on me. A manipulative betrayer, using people for a selfish desire. That is what immortality does to you. It wears down on your humanity, slowly but surely, until all you want, in the end, is for it to end, no matter what."

Harry didn't know what to say to this. CC had just admitted deliberately giving someone a power that would eventually drive him insane, all for the sake of dying. If it weren't for the remorse in her voice, he would have been much angrier.

"…And so you gave me the Geass…so that I could take your Code and allow you to die?" Lelouch asked.

"Partly." Eventually, CC said, "I knew your mother, long before the assassination claimed her life. She told me to keep an eye on you from the shadows, even give you a Geass if need be. You would not remember me, especially as I kept out of sight this whole time, but I kept an eye on you and your sister, along with Suzaku, during your time in Japan. I even intercepted a number of assassins during and immediately after the invasion. After I ensured you were safe with the Ashfords, I went off on my own for a time, until I was captured and delivered to Clovis."

"You knew my mother?" Lelouch asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, I could be facile and say you did not ask. In truth, how would you have reacted? In any case, Marianne's memory is a painful one, to say the least, for me as well as you, as she was a good friend of mine. But my granting you a Geass wasn't just to help you survive, but also as a fulfilment of my promise to your mother." She looked over to Harry and Kallen. "Knowing what lies at journey's end…do you still wish to have the power of Geass? Knowing that one of you may eventually be separated from the other?"

Kallen and Harry were solemn at this revelation. "…And if we could steal VV's Code?" Harry asked. "One could take your Code, and another could take VV's."

"Just because two people are immortal won't automatically mean they'll get along," CC said. "I speak from experience."

"…While I cannot guarantee that I can fulfil your wish, CC," Lelouch said quietly, "I'll try. Immortality itself holds little appeal for me, true, especially if it means watching Nunnally age…but if Geass ensures that she will live long enough to see a world that will make her happy…" Lelouch shook his head. "Never mind. We'll speak of this later. Harry, Kallen, good work. Especially you, Harry, for what you did. And you are right. In future, concentrate on getting innocents out of the way…"

* * *

The mood at the Ashford Academy was somewhat sombre when they returned to school, given the encounter they all had. Milly questioned the pair of them as to what happened, and Harry and Kallen stuck to their stories. Nina had been shaken by the experience, and Harry regretted not trying to comfort the girl more as Warlock, though he doubted it would have been accepted.

It also meant having to listen to Suzaku's self-righteous whining about how if the Phoenix Knights wanted to bring justice to the world, they should have joined the police. No, not quite self-righteous. That seemed rather too disingenuous of Harry to believe that. It was more like Suzaku was trying harder and harder to convince himself of his own ideals. Still, Suzaku was relieved that Harry and Kallen survived their encounter with Warlock. Oh, the irony. But Harry could appreciate Suzaku's sentiments towards them, misplaced though they were. His concern was genuine, as was his desire to help. It was just… _misplaced_. Harry thought back to the boy's suicidal attitude that he noticed when he and Lelouch rescued him from the Purists. What had given rise to it?

They decided to avoid talking about the Hotel incident, given how Nina reacted badly to it, and Suzaku's attitude towards the Phoenix Knights. Harry did give Nina a few reassuring pats on the shoulder, something she would have never accepted had she known he was Warlock. Instead, Harry and Kallen went over to Suzaku, who looked morose. "Anything the matter? I mean, at school?" Harry asked.

Suzaku looked at them, before shaking his head. "Someone stole my shirt again and scrawled 'GO TO HELL, FILTHY ELEVEN' on it," he said quietly.

"Can't expect everyone here to tell the difference between a Japanese and an Honorary Britannian," Harry said quietly. "And before you ask, I refuse to call them anything but Japanese. Eleven is just a number between ten and twelve. Tell you what, I know a few tricks to getting stuff out of shirts."

"Oh?" Milly asked wryly. "Does Kallen's boyfriend know some domestic skills?"

"…I was left with relatives after my parents died," Harry said. "I was forced to act as their servant. Washing, cleaning, cooking…yeah, I know some domestic skills."

Shirley put a hand to her mouth in horror, along with Nunnally, Nina was shooting him a look of pity, Rivalz looked disbelieving, as did Suzaku, while Milly said, "Sorry…I had no idea…"

"I know you don't, because I don't like talking about it," Harry said, a little shortly. "I mean, I work for Kallen as a sort of servant, yes, but…she took me in when she didn't have to. She at least treats me as something other than a servant."

"…But why did they do such a thing?" Suzaku asked, horrified.

"…Jealousy. My parents managed to do things my other relatives did not, and when they were murdered…my aunt took it out on me. She and her husband were upwardly mobile sorts. Not nobles, but pretending to be." He tapped his forehead. "This scar…I got it when my parents were murdered, and their murderer tried to kill me. It's a reminder."

"…And their murderer?" Nina asked quietly.

"He was declared dead when something went wrong when he tried to kill me. But he was really in hiding. He'll never be brought to justice. He's too good at hiding himself and his crimes, and too well-connected. And unlike some certain masked figures we've been seeing lately, he loves killing innocents." Harry looked over at Suzaku with pity. "He's like those Purists who scapegoated you. They don't care that you're a hard worker, a diligent person, a skilled fighter…no. All they care about is that you're a Japanese, inferior to them in their eyes. My parents' murderer had a not dissimilar mindset, that everyone was inferior to him, and any who opposed him should die."

They looked to Kallen, who nodded. "Harry spoke to me about this in private."

"And the police couldn't do anything about it?!" Suzaku demanded.

"They were in the pocket of those backing that man," Harry said. Not strictly true, but given what he saw of the Ministry, it was controlled mostly by the Death Eaters.

"And your relatives treated you like a servant?" Nunnally asked.

"Yeah. I'm really more of a personal assistant to Kallen, not a servant. She may be sickly, but she can do a lot herself. And that's why we're friends. Kallen may not look it…but she has strength of character deep inside."

"…That's beautiful," Shirley said quietly. "I'm jealous, Kallen, that you have such a caring boyfriend."

Kallen blushed slightly, before smiling. "He makes my day brighter, just by being there. My family is not in the best of shape at the moment."

Milly nodded thoughtfully, though Harry had to wonder why. What was the president of the Student Council thinking about?

* * *

After school was finished for the day, Lelouch was meeting with Kallen and Harry in his quarters. "Jeremiah and Villetta have gotten back to me," he announced. "They gave me the formula for the Refrain antidote, and it's surprisingly easy to synthesise. The ingredients can be obtained easily too. Cornelia is looking to destroy the supply chain of the Refrain precursors coming in from China, so that should give us some breathing room to concentrate on ridding the streets of Refrain dealers."

"I'm still surprised Cornelia would bother," Kallen said.

"To her, the Japanese are meant to be a productive workforce, and Refrain hampers that. She's coldly efficient. Plus, the Chinese Federation are doing it to undermine the Britannians' hold here, and have suborned a number of Britannians to do their dirty work. Cornelia despises corruption and waste. But there's another factor in play. I hadn't thought of this sooner, but Euphie was on good terms with Schneizel when I was exiled, and they may still be that way. Cornelia distrusts Schneizel, but Euphie is another matter."

Harry frowned, trying to get Lelouch's point, but Kallen got it before he did, to his mild chagrin. "Do you think Schneizel will feed Euphie possible diplomatic strategies?"

"It's a possibility. Euphie is good at navigating the corridors of power, but she's still naïve. By comparison, Schneizel is the Prime Minister of Britannia, and a seasoned and ruthless leader. Schneizel only has to figure out a strategy that'd be devastating to us, but one that Euphie would palatable, no, desirable."

"So, what do we do then?" Kallen asked.

"Try not to panic, even if we get blindsided. I have Jeremiah and Villetta keeping an eye on things. Cornelia may not trust them with military operations, but she's trusting them to keep Euphie safe. So do I. But it also means that we may have advance warning of whatever Euphie does, assuming she does do something. Now, on a lighter note, the Phoenix Knights have been receiving overtures from the Kyoto Group."

Harry frowned to himself. The Kyoto Group, aka the Six Houses of Kyoto. Officially, a group of prominent industrialists who collaborated with the Britannians, and who had managed to gain more favour with them as a whole. In truth, the Kyoto Group played both sides, outwardly collaborating with Britannia, while secretly funding a number of the more promising resistance groups like the JLF. "Can you trust them?"

"I happen to know two members of them personally," Lelouch said.

"Of course you do," Harry said with a roll of his eyes.

"I knew Taizo Kirihara while I was living with the Kururugis prior to the invasion. And Kaguya Sumeragi was Suzaku's cousin." Lelouch's eyes seemed briefly focused on some distant memory, a wistful smile touching the lips of the exiled prince. "In any case, they're only feelers being sent out, but there's the possibility of Knightmare Frames being supplied. After Shinjuku, I owe you a Knightmare, Kallen, and not just a refurbished Glasgow or a Sutherland. Hopefully there will be one suited to your skill. At the very least, we need the most advanced sixth-generation Knightmare we can get our hands on to counter the Lancelot. Hopefully, combined with your skill, it can make up for the generation divide. Still, we'd better start planning our raids against Refrain dealers and manufacturers..."

 **CHAPTER 13 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, the dust is settling after the Lake Kawaguchi incident. And a new operation is beginning.**

 **I did say that the previous chapter would be the last one for a while, but I decided to write this story as an interlude prior to the Refrain chapter, as well as those revolving around Narita. That being said, the next chapter probably will be a while coming. Aside from the fact that I haven't watched more episodes of the series yet, I am also currently working on a** ** _Berserk_** **crossover, as those of you who follow** ** _The Cauldron_** **will doubtlessly know. It will be published soon, and I hope to try and get more of** ** _Warlock_** **done after I watch more episodes of** ** _Code Geass_** **. Not to mention** ** _Plenipotent Player Prince_** **. I am both delighted and irritated that that has more favourites (as of writing, anyway) than this story.**

 **Also, a number of people have expressed concern about how the Potterverse is going to interact with this world. At the moment, there's little need to worry: those who came over have been inadvertently stranded for reasons I will reveal in a later chapter. The Death Eaters haven't come across, but some members of the Order may cause trouble, especially those who have drunken the Dumbledore Kool Aid…**

 **Harry will also confront CC about what she did to Mao at a later date with her confession in this chapter. I brought it forward because CC was startled at them finding out the truth, and because she's developing more of an attachment to them earlier than in canon. CC confessed it also as a means to stay on Harry's good side, by letting him know what she feels he needs to know.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	15. Chapter 14: Nostalgia

**CHAPTER 14:**

 **NOSTALGIA**

Their raids against Refrain manufacturers and suppliers had begun. As predicted, Cornelia left them alone, preferring to go after the pipeline supplying the precursors from the Chinese Federation. Kallen was beginning to tire of the late night raids, and it was decided to do rotating shifts to allow Harry and Kallen to get some sleep. Plus, Kallen could use her illness as an excuse to get out of some things.

Harry and Kallen began treating Kallen's birth mother for Refrain addiction, using the antidote supplied by Lelouch, courtesy of Gottwald. Over that time, Kallen and her mother began to reconcile. The treatment using the antidote would take some time, rather like methadone being used for opiate withdrawal, so they switched the Refrain vials for vials of the antidote. Harry also ensured that Ms Kozuki's room was clean, of filth and graffiti from the Britannian maids…and possibly Kallen's bitch of a stepmother.

However, one day, the pair of them received a surprise on the weekend, when Milly Ashford came calling…

* * *

"Grandfather asked me to pass this along to you," Milly said, handing Kallen an envelope. Her expression was rather sympathetic. "I noticed that you had the complicated home life, Kallen."

Kallen opened the envelope, and frowned. "My middle school transcripts?"

Milly nodded. "I know that you'd not want me to give them to you on the school grounds. Don't worry, I'm not going to expose you. I love gossip, but I don't like ruining people I consider my friends, and I don't care that you have a Japanese mother. That was her I saw in the foyer, nearly dropping that vase?"

Kallen sighed. "She's…devoted, stupidly so. Don't get me wrong, there's part of me that admires her ability to endure that…but another part of me thinks her a fool to stick around. Especially with my father on business in Pendragon most of the time. I think he does it to get away from that harpy he was pressured into marrying. Anyway, I know you're good at keeping secrets. You must've done a lot to keep Lelouch and Nunnally safe."

"Yes, Lelouch actually mentioned that you figured out who they were. I appreciate you not mentioning anything," Milly said. "Lelouch has been a friend of mine since before his exile. What happened was…abominable."

"That's saying something," Harry muttered. "Lelouch told us of that day he had an audience with that bastard of a sperm donor of his."

"Hmm. And we fell out of favour, given Lady Marianne's demise. We established the Ashford Academy in the wake of the invasion. We had hoped to make it an integrated school with Japanese as well as Britannians, but…" Milly shook her head. "At the moment, Suzaku is the only Japanese here, and he's copping a lot of bullying even now. Not to mention he's only really allowed there by royal decree, with Euphemia having ordered him to be allowed to go to school. Not that my grandfather would have refused him admittance, but others on the school board of governors would object."

"Politics," Kallen scoffed.

"Exactly. You're lucky nobody scrutinised your credentials too much, only caring that you were Kallen Stadfeldt, heiress to Lord Stadfeldt. Hopefully, that stepmother of yours won't try to pimp you out to climb the social ladder. I can tell how much Harry means to you, Kallen. I'd rather you get your happy ending."

Kallen scoffed, inwardly this time. Happy ending? Her happy ending would be a free Japan, one that was no longer known by the appellation of Area 11. True, having a relationship with Harry would be great, but that wouldn't be a happy ending, or rather, it'd be only part of it. "Thanks, Milly, for keeping quiet about this."

"That's fine. I don't envy you, caught between two worlds. To the Japanese, you'd be half-Britannian, the enemy. And to the Britannians, they'd view you as just another Number. Even if they don't react with anger, you see how poor Nina acts. In a way, it was for the best that Warlock put her to sleep during that saga. She might have started blurting out about Elevens, and given the way those bastards were looking at us, that might have been enough for them to start killing us. Still…he has an interesting sense of humour. Apparently he somehow dressed Cornelia in a bikini and posted images online."

"We've…seen them," Kallen said, shooting Harry a look.

"Hmm. She should model swimwear more often, recruitment numbers to the army would skyrocket," Milly remarked, smirking lasciviously.

"Along with deaths by nosebleeds," Harry snarked, to Milly's chuckles and Kallen's scowl.

"That too," Milly said with a smirk. Her face became more serious. "That being said, I think Shirley's becoming worried. You do know she's got a crush on Lelouch?"

Harry and Kallen looked at each other. "Well, I did notice something," Kallen said, "but I didn't know how much of one she had. And while we're friends, I guess you could say, with Lelouch, there is a bit of an unapproachable air to him at times."

Milly nodded. "Is he aware of Shirley's crush?"

"Why ask us?" Harry asked. "You've known him for longer, right?"

"Yes…but lately, I've got the feeling like I don't know him as well as I thought at all. I'm not sure that he's oblivious as much as…well, he's too tightly strung to relax, have fun, even try to fall in love," Milly said. "I think all his love is for his sister, and that's not romantic, obviously. Then again, considering what happened to his mother, and how his father treated him…he keeps everyone at arm's length, like he's wearing a mask. I only know it because I've known him longer than anyone on the Student Council, Nunnally aside."

Kallen and Harry shared another look, before Kallen said, "We have been seeing him more lately, true…but I think he just doesn't want to commit himself yet. He's a pretty cold and detached guy, all-business. I mean, he's friendly and all…but you're probably right. What the Emperor did to him…the problem is, with two of his siblings here, the chances of him being identified have gone up, haven't they?"

"Unless Cornelia or Euphemia make an appearance at Ashford Academy, it's small. Euphemia may visit, she's the one who does all the diplomacy and ceremonies, whereas Cornelia…she's out scouring all the Japanese terrorists and rebels, including Warlock and Zero, no doubt. Still, I want you to help protect Lelouch and Nunnally."

"Suzaku was around Euphemia earlier, we saw them," Harry said. "Should we be worried that he spills the beans?"

"He would have done so by now. Besides, I can tell he and Lelouch are old friends. Why, they're getting along like a house on fire…"

* * *

" _I fell into a burning ring of fire, I went down, down, down, and the flames went higher_ …" sang Harry from beneath his Warlock mask as he set the warehouse on fire. There was a sort of vicarious joy he got from watching those scumbags they had captured wail and gnash their teeth as he burned down their livelihoods, considering that said livelihood was based on the suffering of others. They'd made sure to get everyone out first, as well as ensure less explosive materials were on hand. A few explosions would be nice, but they wanted fireworks, not something that would pulp any bystanders from the shockwave.

Behind him, he heard Lelouch ask Kallen, "… _Is he a pyromaniac?_ "

"Well, there was this one time when he took some wealthy noble's wardrobe, piled it up on his front lawn, and made a bonfire," Kallen said with a shrug. "Said something about it being Guy Fawkes Night. I'd complain but…well, at the moment, I actually have cravings for marshmallows."

" _So do I, but best not to do them so close to chemicals_ ," Lelouch said. " _Warlock, are you done indulging your inner arsonist?_ "

" _Almost, Zero. Anyway, we're Phoenix Knights. Fires and Phoenixes go together, right?_ "

After the warehouse was engulfed in flames, and the emergency services on their way, the Phoenix Knights left the miscreants they had dealt with tied up nearby. Lelouch had used his Geass on the more prominent ones, forcing them to confess their crimes to the authorities when they arrived.

* * *

"Should I be worried?" Lelouch asked as they relaxed briefly in the mobile HQ after the mission. "You seemed like a happy little pyromaniac back there."

"Sorry. It's just…I've seen more than enough people hooked on Refrain. The problem was tracking the dealers down. I've burned down a couple of drug labs before, though," Harry said, running a hand through his hair. "Plus, given that we're trying to wean Kallen's mother off that shit…she's a nice woman, but she's a doormat, and Refrain doesn't help."

Lelouch nodded solemnly. "You are angry, then, at what it does to people. Don't misunderstand, so am I. Any intelligent person would be. The Japanese who take it do so to relive the better moments of their past, living in it until they fail to function in the present. The Britannians who peddle it don't care that they are crippling their own workforce, presumably hoping to import their own workers. They also don't care that they're dancing on the strings of the Chinese Federation, who hope to weaken the Britannians' grip here."

CC, who was eating a pizza, of course, remarked, "Nostalgia. The word itself is from Greek. 'Nostos', meaning homecoming, and 'algos', meaning a pain or an ache. Long ago, it was coined as a term for extreme homesickness, particularly in Swiss mercenaries fighting in France or Italy, yearning for the mountains of their home." She snorted. "Of course, some idiots thought it was caused by brain damage from the clanging of cowbells in Swiss farmlands(1)."

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Believe me, I've fought alongside said mercenaries," CC said.

"Oh, right, you're centuries old," Ohgi said. He had been told something about CC. "But is it wrong to yearn for the past?"

"Not at the expense of the present," CC said quietly. "I am lucky enough that I have a past I do not like to dwell on. But all of you, I am sure, have happier memories to call upon. That's what makes Refrain so insidious. Forgetting the past, good or bad, is not desirable. But to dwell in it is equally undesirable. For all its vaunted talk of progress, Britannia is stagnant culturally, its mindset based on past glories. But many Japanese are guilty of the same thing. They speak of restoring Japan like it's the easiest thing." Her golden eyes flicked over to Ohgi. "You were a schoolteacher, right? Did you ever teach physics?"

"I know some. Why?"

"The Second Law of Thermodynamics. Namely, entropy, that is, disorder, always increases. Perhaps less depressingly, change is inexorable and irreversible, and even if you did reverse it, it would only expend more energy than you really should. My immortality is, admittedly, a big exception to the rule. The complete restoration of Japan as it was is impossible. It was the old Japan that fell to Britannia, after all. Japan needs to change in order to be free from Britannia."

"I know that…but will it change for the better?" Ohgi asked quietly.

"We can't know that for certain, Ohgi," Lelouch said. "All I can bring you guys is military victory. Politics, infrastructure, society…that's up to you. Keep what the Britannians gave you, even modify it to your own ends…I know it's stuff you don't think about when you're fighting for your people. Change isn't always for the better…but you should fight to ensure that it is. The reason I fight is for Nunnally's sake, to ensure she has a world where she can be happy, and be free of people considering her weak if she can't walk. Revenge is part of it, true, but…Nunnally, I would do anything if I thought she would be happy in the end…"

* * *

Not long afterwards, between Cornelia's actions and the Phoenix Knights' own, Refrain had all but dried up on the streets, with the Phoenix Knights discreetly giving the antidote to trusted medical facilities to help treat the addicts. Kallen's mother was on the road to recovery. And finally, Kyoto followed through on their promise of materiel, especially in the form of Knightmare Frames. The Burais were basically Glasgows, but enhanced Glasgows, so, while they may not be anything compared to a Gloucester or the Lancelot, they'd be able to stand up to a Sutherland. However, one of the Knightmares stood out, Kallen and Harry looking up at it in awe.

It was crimson and elegant, sleek and lethal. Its right arm was a silvery clawed hand, with a rather complex mechanism built in. It was a thing of beauty, even as a weapon. "Does it have a name?" Kallen asked.

Lelouch, in his getup as Zero, said, " _Kyoto called it the 'Guren' or 'Red Lotus'. Specifically, it's the Guren Mark II. Apparently, it's the brainchild of an Indian scientist called Rakshata Chawla. She has studied at Britannian universities, and it's said that she and the Earl of Pudding have something of a rivalry._ " He pointed to the hand. " _See that? That's what they call the Radiant Wave Surger. It affects the components within most Knightmares in a sort of chain reaction using specific harmonics of radiation. It's a close-range weapon, though. However, it can be used for other things. It can be modulated, for example, to project microwaves that can boil water._ "

"Is that safe?" Harry asked.

" _Chawla may be as eccentric as the Earl of Pudding, but she at least keeps the safety of the pilot in mind._ " Lelouch then looked at Kallen, before handing her a feather-shaped Knightmare key. " _With your skill at the helm, this Red Lotus will dance._ "

"…You truly are giving me this?" Kallen asked quietly.

" _I may be leading the Phoenix Knights in terms of strategy, but you are the best of us by far in terms of piloting skill. I wouldn't be able to use it to its full potential, Kallen…but you can. Now, we have to start practising with these. Cornelia's planning something big, soon. Hopefully, we'll be ready_ …"

 **CHAPTER 14 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, the Phoenix Knights have dealt with Refrain…but Narita is around the corner. I've actually watched the episodes in question, but I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to deal with them, given the collateral damage in canon, so the next chapter or two will be some time. I'm considering taking a leaf out of** ** _The Black Emperor_** **'s book and having Lelouch get Nina to run calculations on the landslide attack (though unlike that story, Nina will be under the influence of Geass), and there's what Harry could potentially do as prep work prior to that, to try and protect the town, though to do so without alerting Cornelia…**

 **Review-answering time!** **JFC** **: You have put your finger on the crux of the problem right there. Harry has very understandably conflicted loyalties.**

 **Ultimate-Zelda-fan** **: Basically a bikini that's barely big enough to be decent, show a flag's graphic legibly from a distance, and would show off Cornelia's sexy body.**

 **Blackholelord** **: I am aware of what goes on later in the series in broad strokes, especially Charles' plans, but for the finer details, I'm carefully not writing beyond what I watch. And I am aware of the manga spinoffs. In fact, the first three volumes of the manga adaptation are actually available at my local library, and if I could read the complete set, I would consider doing a story based more on the manga, as it seems to streamline a lot of stuff, not to mention getting rid of Knightmares (I personally find them superfluous) and making Ashford Academy a school where Japanese and Britannians can learn together, though that only serves to increase conflict and ill-will. Though it sadly gets rid of Cornelia, who is a pretty damn good character…**

 **1\. No, really. Admittedly, this was from Wikipedia, but still, I do remember this original version of nostalgia's definition being mentioned on an episode of** ** _QI_** **.**


	16. Chapter 15: Ghosts of the Past

**CHAPTER 15:**

 **GHOSTS OF THE PAST**

Lelouch contemplated the printout carefully, before grimacing. "What's the matter, Lelouch?" Kallen asked. They were convening in Lelouch's quarters at the Ashford Academy, with CC lounging around on a bed, chewing on a pizza as usual.

"This," Lelouch said, tapping the printout, before handing it to Kallen.

Kallen frowned, her blue eyes peering at it, before she handed it over to Harry, who shrugged. "I'm sorry, Lelouch, but it's all Greek to us," Kallen said. "They're diagrams of the Narita area, I know that much, along with some sort of geological statistics, but I'm not sure what they mean."

Lelouch nodded, taking it back from Harry. "Cornelia is making a move on the JLF soon, according to Jeremiah. I intend to intercept her. Not for the sake of saving the JLF, mind. As cold-hearted as it sounds, that's a secondary objective, especially after what happened at the hotel. Kusakabe may have been acting on his own initiative, true, but it speaks to poor leadership when they can't keep a leash on one of their pet hounds. If we buy them enough time to escape, then fine. And as you know, I want to keep civilian deaths to a minimum. It's inevitable that some will occur, but…" Lelouch chuckled softly. "I do believe that you two keep me honest. Nunnally may be the driving force behind my actions…but you two keep me thinking about consequences."

"Thanks," Harry said, a little bemused. "But why?"

"These printouts are part of an analysis I had Nina do under the power of Geass, simulations of what I intend," Lelouch said, gently slapping the printouts. "I had her erase them from her computer once she was done, and left a backdoor command in her mind just in case I need her again. I intended to use special excavators, combined with the Radiant Wave Surger of the Guren to affect the underground water, to trigger an avalanche. In the process, I would wipe out a good proportion of Cornelia's forces, as well as cause a form of area denial, as the loose soil and rock would be hostile to the Landspinners of a Knightmare, and at best, they'd have to use their Slash Harkens."

Kallen and Harry's eyes widened, and Kallen took the printout back. "Oh, I see it now. Except…in a number of these…"

"You see it too? If I'm not careful about the placement of the excavators, as well as where you use the Radiant Wave Surger, the resulting avalanche could continue on into the town and devastate it, potentially killing any civilians present," Lelouch said. "But other placements or power settings mean that the avalanche is not powerful enough to demolish Cornelia's troops. Well, save for one, but even then, it's risky. I'm considering having Jeremiah persuade Cornelia to evacuate the town, citing the danger of the JLF's artillery placements or something, but Cornelia may veto that on account of that alerting the JLF, and the avalanche may arouse her suspicions. I think I will have Jeremiah suggest that to Euphemia, who will probably be better able to persuade Cornelia."

"Still…I think we need an insurance policy," Harry mused. "It's one thing to kill enemy combatants, but another to bring civilians into it. I think Shirley said her father was working in the area at the moment. And the last thing we need is someone close to you seeking revenge on Zero…well, aside from Suzaku."

Lelouch nodded. "In any case, remember how I had you test the Expansion Charm on the inside of the Guren cockpit?"

"Yeah. It's still snug, but it can fit two people, even if only temporarily," Harry said. "I didn't really learn that sort of thing much before I ended up in this world."

"That's fine. The plan is, I need you to ride shotgun with Kallen inside the Guren. As part of my plan, I eventually want you to fight Cornelia's Gloucester," Lelouch said. "Of course, I don't need you to defeat Cornelia, Kallen. Just distract her enough for the key stage of the plan." He looked over at Harry and smirked. "Remember what you did to the Lancelot? I want you to do the same to Cornelia, only, you will have a Portkey prepared for a pre-set location, a cave system nearby."

"To kidnap Cornelia," Harry said, his eyes widening in realisation.

"Exactly," Lelouch said, his smirk widening into a vicious grin. "Holding her hostage or killing her is meaningless. But…if I instil doubt in her mind, hint that Nunnally and I are alive, as well as a greater conspiracy involving the Geass…"

CC raised a green eyebrow. "You're playing a dangerous game, boy. I don't doubt that Cornelia would oppose your father, in secret if nothing else, should she learn of some of the things involved and start digging, but VV and Charles may smell a rat. They would certainly use Euphemia as a pawn against Cornelia…and against you. They may even replace her as Viceroy if they feel so inclined…or stage an assassination by terrorists. There are plenty of willing pawns they can install in her place, and they could even use Euphemia as a puppet Viceroy, dancing on the strings of a trusted advisor."

"Schneizel?" Lelouch asked.

"Possibly. He can certainly direct Euphemia and whisper suggestions into her ear," CC said. "You know as well as I do that he's a chessmaster on a par with, if not surpassing, you. And he has considerably more resources at his disposal. I am not saying that you should avoid telling Cornelia anything at all. Just be careful about what you say…" She then peered at Lelouch. "Just answer me something…" Then, she looked at Kallen. "You too, Kallen. Why are you Lelouch and Kallen?"

"…I'm not sure I follow," Kallen said.

CC rolled her eyes, before pointing at Lelouch. "You changed your last name to Lamperouge, Marianne's maiden name, but you kept your first name. And you," she said, pointing at Kallen, "You keep your birth name of Kallen, but you answer more to your mother's maiden name of Kozuki rather than your father's name of Stadfeldt. Wouldn't you prefer a more Japanese name like, say, Karin? You two are plagued with sentiment, unable to let go of the past."

Harry snorted. "And what, going all the way to the opposite end, calling yourself 'Cee Two', that's any better?"

"It's not a human name," Lelouch concurred.

CC shot him a look, before she sighed. "And by implication, you say that I have discarded my humanity, along with my name." It was a weary statement rather than a question.

"You said it eroded because of your long life rather than you discarding it," Kallen said.

CC chuckled ruefully. "Yes…have you ever wondered why snow is white? Because it's forgotten what colour it should be. I haven't forgotten my name, true, but…the girl who was born under that name, betrayed under that name, she died long ago. I try not to let my past consume me, and having lived for so long, I have a lot of inner demons who would try, more than virtually any other person alive. Even VV is a younger immortal than I, a whelp less than a century old." She looked up at them with her golden eyes, which glistened suspiciously of what could be the faintest hint of tears. "And you wonder why I want to die. I have loved and lost many times, enough for several lifetimes. Maybe my past has already consumed me, and I am the gristle it spat out afterwards. I wouldn't be surprised."

"Then why do you care about us?" Kallen asked.

CC opened her mouth, presumably to make a snide remark, before shaking her head. "Lelouch is because of my promise to his mother, not to mention his interesting ways. Harry is because, in all my years, I have not seen magic, not like his. I have seen immortals and the various powers of Geass, but not magic. And you come from another universe to boot. And Kallen…yes, you're caught between worlds, a Japanese and a Britannian both. You're far from the only one, admittedly, but…in many ways, you remind me of Marianne. She too was caught between worlds, between her common birth and the circles of the Imperial court she moved in when she caught Charles' eye. If it weren't for you and Harry already being an item, I'd be rooting for you and Lelouch getting together. In fact, the three of you together are more interesting than you being separate."

"Why's that?" Harry asked.

"Kallen gives you purpose, Harry, a purpose beyond your celebrity status back in your homeworld. Harry also provides you with a stabilising influence, Kallen, a check to your anger, as well as perspective on your mixed heritage. Lelouch gives your resistance group direction and purpose beyond merely striking back against Britannia, and at the same time, you act as a means of keeping him somewhat moral, despite his power and his thirst for revenge. True, you have Nunnally, Lelouch, but if you didn't have people you could trust with keeping her safe should anything happen to her, what then? What if she were kidnapped? You would drop everything, even your comrades in the Phoenix Knights, to retrieve her? Even though they need your tactical ability?"

Lelouch looked down, not meeting their gazes, before eventually, he admitted, "Maybe. But…if Nunnally was in danger…can I trust you two to take care of her?"

"Lelouch, of course we would," Kallen said. "We know how much she means to you, and that she's an innocent in all of this. And if the unthinkable should happen and you die or are captured…we will protect her."

Lelouch nodded. "…Thank you." He then went over to a laptop and opened it up. After typing in some passwords, he began scrolling through it. "Now, as you know, we have some secret application channels for people wishing to join the Phoenix Knights. I've been spending some time vetting them. Some are pro-Japan fanatics who are like Kusakabe's ilk, more liable to take extreme action. Others…well, they're more moderate in character, but they lack skills we need. And there's a few that I am sure are possible plants by the Britannians. I'm having Jeremiah check things discreetly. But this is someone who may be our greatest asset, or greatest liability. He's also sent us information about Cornelia's assault on Narita, not knowing that Jeremiah's done so already."

Harry and Kallen frowned. "Diethard Ried," Harry read, seeing a moderately handsome man with blonde hair, albeit with a vaguely shifty demeanour. "Hang on, isn't he one of the top pressmen for Hi-TV? Hey, he was that wanker with the camera when you and I rescued Suzaku!"

"Yes, he's a news producer. He was also covering the Lake Kawaguchi incident, and apparently got into trouble because he refused to shut down the transmission of our speech declaring the debut of the Phoenix Knights," Lelouch mused. "He could be useful for PR, even intelligence gathering. Of course, he's also something of an opportunist by reputation, looking to cover something grand and unique. He's also noted for his contempt with the structure of Britannian society as it is, detesting the pomp and ceremony."

"Reminds me of Rita Skeeter, only with more authority," Harry snarked. "I'd be careful. He seems like the sort that would bite the hand that fed him."

"Agreed," Kallen said. "If you're going to bring him into the Phoenix Knights, try to ensure his loyalties first. And make sure you have some sort of leverage or check against him, Lelouch."

"I will. Which reminds me, before long, I will have to reveal myself to your group. The longer I keep my identity a secret, the more potentially damaging the revelation will be if and when it is revealed. Nagata and Ohgi know…but the others don't. I have bought time by revealing the power of Geass to them, but…"

"Let's wait until after Narita at least, assuming we're victorious," Harry said. "They'd be more receptive to your identity if you win them a victory."

"I'm sure. A spoonful of sugar helps one swallow bitter medicine. In any case, they'll need to train up, especially those not assigned Knightmares for this operation. Even with the avalanche potentially rendering much of Cornelia's forces _hors de combat_ , this mission is going to be dangerous…"

* * *

At the end of the school day, Harry and Kallen walked home, knowing that, in a couple of days, they would be going with Lelouch and the Phoenix Knights to Narita. They were nervous. Having to improvise an operation at Narita or the hotel was one thing. But this was big. This was the biggest operation that the Phoenix Knights would be involved in.

The pair of them were anxious. But even so, they were not prepared for Kallen's mother to meet them at the door, the stepmother having left for a function. "Kallen…" she said, wringing her hands. "There's some people here…for Harry. I told them that you were at school, so they've been waiting here…in your room."

"For me?" Harry asked, feeling a chill run down his spine, a bloom of hope and fear in his chest.

"Yes. They said… _we solemnly swear we are up to no good_. They said you would know what that meant."

Harry stared at Kallen, before he began sprinting up the stairs, Kallen in tow. "You know what that means?" Kallen demanded.

"It's the password of the Marauders," Harry said, panting as he got to the landing, and then sprinted down the corridors. "It means…it means…" He yanked open the door to Kallen's room…and stared in disbelief.

Kallen, who followed, peered into the room. Waiting there was a bushy-haired girl about their age, a couple of older men, one with scars and a haggard, lugubrious look to him, and the other with dark hair, grey eyes, and a beard, as well as a rather punkish young woman with bubblegum pink hair. Harry instantly had his wand out, though, pointing at them, something they copied. Harry waved Kallen back. "Well?"

"Your Boggart was a Dementor," the haggard-looking man said.

"We rescued Sirius on Buckbeak," the bushy-haired girl said.

"I sent you the Firebolt at Christmas," the dark-haired man said.

"…And what about Nymphadora?" Harry asked.

"Don't call me Nymphadora!" snarled the pink-haired woman, whose hair turned a fiery red, standing on end.

"…And what about you, Harry?" the bushy-haired girl asked.

"…You got me a Broomstick-Cleaning Kit for my thirteenth birthday," Harry said.

The girl nodded, and everyone lowered their wands. "Sorry, but we had to be sure."

"Of course you did. The last time I saw you, that bastard Dolohov had gotten you, Hermione."

"Hermione?" Kallen asked, before looking at the quartet, thinking back to the stories Harry told about his world. "So…this is Hermione Granger."

"Yes," Harry said. "Kallen, this is Hermione, one of my best friends, Sirius Black, who is my godfather, Remus Lupin, and Nymphadora Tonks." He then shook his head. "I can't go back just yet, if that's what you want. I have obligations here already. I'm sorry."

"We know you have obligations," Hermione said, her expression unreadable. Was there resentment, fear, longing, or something else in her features? And then, she dropped the bombshell, with four words.

"Isn't that right, _Warlock?_ "

 **CHAPTER 15 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Cue cliffhanger scream, and then end titles,** ** _Doctor Who_** **style!**

 **I was originally going to write a chapter devoted to either Narita, or the actual operation itself, but then I realised this would be the best time to bring in a few of the Potterverse characters. Now, while other characters may not be sympathetic to Harry wanting to stay here, these four will be. Oh, they want Harry to come back, but they, along with the Weasleys (for the most part) will be understanding of Harry's obligations, Harry being an infamous rebel aside. The next chapter will be devoted to Harry and Kallen speaking to the wizards from the Potterverse…these four, anyway.**

 **Hopefully, the next chapter won't be that long away. And maybe with the wizards' help, Narita may be very different to canon…**

 **Oh, and incidentally, this fic is ranked third on the Potterverse/** ** _Code Geass_** **crossovers. Howzat?**

 **Before I go onto my reviews, I'd like to take a moment to hawk a few of my newest fics. Firstly, I have published the** ** _Berserk_** **crossover I mentioned, which needs more love. It's called** ** _Ubi Amor, Ibi Dolor_** **. Secondly, I have a crossover with** ** _GATE: Thus the JSDF Fought There_** **called** ** _Parva Sub Ingenti_** **. Finally, a crossover with** ** _Elfen Lied_** **called** ** _Children of the Revolution_** **.**

 **Review-answering time!** **YDdraigGoch94** **: While your argument has valid points, as you can see above, Lelouch actually feels he needs to 'keep honest' with Harry and Kallen, if only to retain their loyalty. He may withhold some operational details, true, but he trusts them enough to either veto some parts or make suggestions. Harry and Kallen recognise Lelouch's tactical and strategic genius. The fact that Harry and Kallen already know his identity and that of Nunnally gave him a bit of a shock, so he's a bit more trusting of his allies.**

 **JFC** **: I haven't watched the compilation films, nor do I really intend to at this stage.**

 **Guest** **: You are referring to Arthur Brown's** ** _Fire_** **, and yes, I nearly put that in. Hadrian Kotomine has it as his ringtone in my fanfic of the same name. And I based Milly more on the fanfics, though those do extrapolate somewhat from canon.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	17. Chapter 16: Reunion

**CHAPTER 16:**

 **REUNION**

Kallen tensed next to Harry, but Harry gently placed a hand on her own, before meeting Hermione's eyes. They become hardened, Harry realised, and Hermione had a few small but noticeable scars that weren't there before. "I'd wonder how you knew…but I think I can guess. You saw the broadcast during the Lake Kawaguchi incident, didn't you?"

" _Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus_ ," Hermione said. "Never tickle a sleeping dragon, the motto of Hogwarts. When we first came to this world and heard about Warlock, we already had our suspicions. Watching the news only solidified them. Of course, Point Me spells don't work so well over a long distance, and it took us time to get to Japan. And of course, even in a relatively small country like Japan, and even given Warlock's activities centred mostly around Tokyo, and especially Shinjuku, searching for one person would be like finding a needle in a haystack. And given your…activities…well, I didn't think you'd appreciate having people announce they were coming for you."

"You disapprove of my so-called activities?" Harry asked, crossing his arms.

Hermione shook her head. "I know that the Phoenix Knights are labelled as terrorists, but…I know you, Harry. You have your saving people thing. You may kill someone, but you wouldn't do so without cause. Besides…I'm sure things have changed since we last saw each other. I certainly have."

Gently, Sirius said, "Hermione's parents were killed, Harry. Voldemort's been exposed, but things are getting worse. Dumbledore…"

"Is the only wizard Voldemort fears, so I was told, so why hasn't he gotten off his arse and dealt with Voldemort himself, huh?!" Harry snapped, his anger from how he was treated during his fifth year at Hogwarts suddenly boiling up. "He did _nothing!_ He allowed Umbridge to run rampant, and ran away like a fucking coward when the DAs were discovered, allowing Umbridge to take control! He allowed Snape to rape my fucking mind under the guise of Occlumency lessons! He told you and Ron and everyone else to keep me in the fucking dark!" He glared at Hermione, who recoiled briefly. " _And you listened_. You listened to that old bastard instead of your first friend. Only…were we ever friends?"

"…Yes. Harry, I know you're angry, and quite frankly, I've been angry with Dumbledore too," Hermione said. "When I thought you were dead, and he explained some things…I trashed his office. Dumbledore, however, seems set on you defeating Voldemort. I personally think he's gone senile. After everything that happened…and when my parents died, he had the gall to just call it unfortunate. It was **_unfortunate_** that my parents were murdered by people who went free because Magical Britain is rotten to the core? In Dumbledore's Army, we only really learned how to deal with enemies non-lethally. When I killed the Death Eaters who killed my parents in self-defence, he had the gall to lecture me about _forgiveness_ and _redemption_ …and then, he said you would be disappointed in me for going down such a dark path."

Harry laughed bitterly. "And what did you do?"

"I broke his nose and started attacking him. In front of the rest of the Order."

Tonks said, "Shack was the one who pulled her off him. Almost everyone else was cheering for her, frankly. Most of the Weasleys save for Arthur, especially. Snape dragged her off him, and she basically beat the crap out of him, calling him a murderer and a spy. But Dumbledore then expelled Hermione from Hogwarts."

"What?!" Kallen hissed. "Why would he do that?!"

"For conduct unbecoming a student and a Prefect, as well as assaulting two teachers," Hermione said. "He wanted an apology for Snape first, and he would reconsider it. But I told him where to shove it. Snape taunted me about my parents, and Dumbledore did not a damned thing about it! He told me I must forgive Snape. I told him I would never forgive an unrepentant rapist and murderer and a traitor who allowed Harry to die. And when he said Snape had his absolute trust, I asked him how many people I should murder and betray before I had his trust(1). He didn't take that well."

"I adopted Hermione as my heir," Sirius said. "One good thing about that fiasco was that I was found by Madame Bones, and after some Veritaserum, she exonerated me. Unfortunately, I still had to remain in hiding, as Pettigrew hasn't been found, and the Death Eaters still want my hide. Anyway, after adopting Hermione as my heir, that afforded her some protection, and I began training her in secret. There's a schism in the Order, Harry. Technically, the Weasleys are on our side, but Dumbledore has forced them to their side."

"Still, it didn't stop him from coming to us and _requesting_ our help to find you when he realised you were still alive," Sirius said. "He, Moody, Shack, Dung and a few of the others. We took Fawkes over here, but we ended up in the middle of a Britannian compound. Fawkes was shot in the ensuing battle, and we scattered. We took the opportunity to get away from Dumbledore, and we took Fawkes with us in the process. They may still be in Britannia…and I'm really irritated at calling it Britannia when it is _American!_ "

"But you came here?"

"We heard the rumours about Warlock, so we came to Japan," Hermione said. "If we're lucky, Dumbledore hasn't seen your little broadcast about the Phoenix Knights." She looked over at Kallen, and smiled a little tiredly. "Sorry about this…we needed to get a lot off our chests. Kallen Stadtfeld, was it?"

After a moment, Kallen said, "Actually, I go by Kallen Kozuki in private. I normally would not trust you…but Harry does."

"You're part-Japanese?" Remus asked. "The maid downstairs…she looks a little like you, around the face…"

"She's my biological mother," Kallen said. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't spread it around."

"We won't," Hermione said. "The way the Britannians treat Numbers…it's like apartheid back home, to say nothing of how Muggleborns are treated. I know what it's like, even if it's only to some degree, Kallen." She got up and walked over to Kallen, and held out her hand. Kallen, after a moment's hesitation, took it.

"How did you track down Harry?" Kallen asked.

"We decided to ask at Ashford Academy, discreetly. They gave us your address, and told us that Harry acted as your PA, due to your chronic illness. A cover?" On Kallen's narrowed eyes, Hermione said, "Look, as long as you didn't kill civilians…"

"No. The closest we came was Refrain dealers," Kallen said.

"Good. Because Harry is a dear friend to me, my first friend. If you get him in trouble because you murdered innocents… _I will end you_ ," Hermione said, her own eyes narrowing.

"Hermione, please don't threaten my girlfriend," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, we need to discuss something very vital and urgent…"

* * *

Harry and Kallen, albeit leaving out Lelouch's identity as Zero, as well as a few other details, explained what was happening. By the end of it, Hermione was frowning. "So…this 'Geass' thing…it has to be one of the scariest things I have ever heard of."

"Oh, it is."

The four mages, apart from Harry, took their wands out at the sound of what was to Harry and Kallen an irritatingly familiar voice. "CC, what are you doing here?" Kallen asked, irritated.

"Zero sent me. One of his contacts found out that someone inquired about Harry at Ashford Academy," CC said. Thankfully, she was dressed in normal clothes rather than the straitjacket she was found in.

Hermione blinked. "You're CC? How long were you listening?"

"Long enough to determine whether Harry and Kallen had been compromised, or at least in an unsalvageable way," the green-haired immortal said, sauntering into the room. "Thankfully, my fears seem unfounded, for now. And you are mages from Harry's world."

Sirius grinned lasciviously. "Hi there, CC. Are you seeing anyone?"

"Yes, a scruffy dogfather is right before my eyes," CC snarked. "Down boy. Or I'll have you neutered. I once worked as a vet."

"Since when?" Harry asked.

"I once worked with a vet called James Wight, better known by his penname James Herriot(2)," CC said. "I was bored," she added with a shrug.

Hermione peered at CC. "And you're immortal?"

"Would you like me to slit my own throat as a demonstration?" CC asked.

"No! Merlin, no! It's just…you seem so young."

"So do you all, from my perspective," CC said, peering at Hermione. "I'm old enough to have seen the premiere of _The Winter's Tale_. I remembered the actor playing Hermione having his false bust slip. Rather hilarious(3). And there was more ham on display than the average butcher's. _Henry V_ didn't impress me either, but I'm French by birth. The speeches were lovely, though."

Hermione stared at her flatly, before shaking her head. "Never mind. CC…Harry will need to come back home, sooner or later. Dumbledore seems set on having Harry fulfil his side of a prophecy…"

"Prophecy?" Harry asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Remember that thing we went to retrieve in the Department of Mysteries? It was a prophecy about you and Voldemort, given by that dipsomaniacal fraud Trelawney, allegedly one of her true ones…"

And then, she recited the prophecy. The very thing he had nearly died for, along with his friends, thanks to his own personal stupidity, and Dumbledore keeping him in the dark. "So, Dumbledore believes I have to kill Voldemort, because of that stupid prophecy?" Harry asked, in a flat, dangerous tone of voice.

"Amongst other things. Apparently, he's been busy dealing with something Voldemort is using to keep himself alive," Remus said. "He had to cut his arm off to stop a curse from killing him."

"He should have let it kill him," Harry said darkly.

CC looked rather pensive. "Shades of _Oedipus Rex_. Only without the mother-son incest." She shot Harry a look. "If he really is that desperate to have you beat Voldemort, how long is it until he finds you and disrupts the Phoenix Knights' operations?"

"Hopefully never," Harry said, looking up at the quartet. "Don't get me wrong, I will go back to deal with Voldemort if necessary…but after that, I'm done with Magical Britain. It's no longer my home. Japan in this world…it's my home. How long until Fawkes is grown enough?"

"…It'll be a few weeks yet at least," Remus said. "He's back at the hotel. He's only just started growing back feathers. It'll be a while before he's up to transporting us."

"Then that's good, for now," Harry said. Then, an idea occurred to him…

* * *

" _Can they be trusted?_ " Lelouch asked over the phone.

"I think so. If nothing else, I think they'd be willing to let you Geass them in order to prevent your identity from being compromised, along with mine. Look, this way, if they can find a way to stop the avalanche before it reaches Narita, we can go with what you originally intended," Harry said.

" _Hmm. And this is indeed worrying, what you said about Dumbledore and this asinine prophecy. He may want to make you a martyr. At the very least, he wants you back under his control. He sounds altogether too much like my father for my liking._ "

"I know. Zero…I will be heading back home, even if it's only long enough to kill Voldemort and deal with any other issues. I am not abandoning the Phoenix Knights, Japan, or Kallen."

" _I know you wouldn't abandon Kallen_ ," Lelouch said. " _I'll have what contacts I have to keeping an eye out for anyone who matches your description of Dumbledore._ "

"Thanks, Zero."

" _Don't thank me yet. Magic complicates matters. I will use my Geass to interrogate them, confirm their loyalties to you, and then put in the command not to reveal your identity as Warlock, nor mine as Zero. Unfortunately, Dumbledore and his followers are very much a wild card, one that could compromise our operations._ "

"Yeah, I know. So…I'm going to do something probably very stupid and reckless. I need an edge just in case they come calling."

" _And what's that?_ "

Harry looked over at CC, who, along with Kallen and the others, were watching him speak on the phone intently. What he was about to do was, as he said, probably very stupid and reckless, so, very much a Gryffindor thing to do. CC seemed to realise what he intended to do, as she frowned. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"…Yes. CC…I want to gain a Geass from you…"

 **CHAPTER 16 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Oh dear.**

 **Now, I actually originally intended to write Dumbledore as less bash-worthy than he is portrayed in this chapter. However, it came as a logical follow-on from Hermione being here. Don't get me wrong, he doesn't want Harry dead at all…but he's still got his stupid fixation on redemption, not to mention trusting Snape above anyone else. To Dumbledore, Hermione's parents dying, while regrettable, actually works in keeping Hermione in the Wizarding World, though what he considers a childish temper tantrum basically had him thinking her to be a liability in the end. He's hoping that she will come back to him, 'whimpering', as Number Two puts it in the famous episode of** ** _The Prisoner, The Chimes of Big Ben_** **. He brought her along basically to try and entice Harry to come back (and the Weasleys are dealing with other things back home: Snape and McGonagall are running Hogwarts for now).**

 **Now, Hermione and the others won't be joining the Phoenix Knights full on. Rather, they'll be hanging around, waiting until Harry is ready to come back to Magical Britain. This isn't to say they won't help out. They may prove useful when Mao comes a-calling…**

 **Also, I'm thinking of changing the pairing. I was originally going to pair Lelouch with CC…but now we have a hardened and more morally flexible Hermione on the scene…would a pairing with Lelouch work?**

 **Review-answering time!** **Guest** **(regarding a check against magic): There's a very good one: Geass itself. While a simple Finite can remove the effects of certain Geass powers like Lelouch's and Charles', the fact remains that other Geass powers work very well against magic: Mao's Geass can bypass Occlumency barriers with ease, Rolo's Geass is, well, 'nuff said, and so on. Plus, Harry still has to keep his magic relatively hidden.**

 **Guest** **(regarding Kallen's name): I looked up 'Karin', and you have a point about it being a European name, but it's also a Japanese name, for quinces. However, Kallen is an actual Western name, usually a surname, but there is an Armenian-American singer called Kallen Esperian.**

 **1\. Hermione's rant is not dissimilar to similar points that Harry made towards Dumbledore in Silently Watches'** ** _Faery Heroes_** **.**

 **2\. The author of** ** _All Creatures Great and Small_** **, if you don't know.**

 **3\. If you're confused about why CC is referring to Hermione in** ** _A Winter's Tale_** **as being played by a woman, remember, female actors weren't part of the group that performed Shakespeare's plays. Hell, I don't know whether female actors were even around at the time. Instead, they got pre-pubescent boys, if I recall.**


	18. Chapter 17: Narita

**CHAPTER 17:**

 **NARITA**

Thankfully, everything went smoothly, and Hermione and the others were allowed to work with the Phoenix Knights. Harry, meanwhile, got his Geass from CC…and had spent some time experimenting with it. It was easily one of the most disturbing Geass powers he could think of.

When he activated it, he saw disquieting stitch-like lines over almost every surface, as well as on people. When he tried tracing the lines with his finger on one of Kallen's magazines, the book fell apart. CC willingly allowed him to test him tracing the lines on her…and she promptly fell apart, as if sliced up by a knife. She regenerated, of course, but she noted that it felt different to her usual demises. Like it was more difficult for her Code to regenerate her.

She thus called it the Geass of Death Perception(1). Basically, the power allowed him to see 'faultlines' that were representations of the concept of 'death' for an object or person. Tracing them while the Geass was active allowed him to kill a person or an object.

Harry resolved to only use this Geass as a last resort, especially with the possibility of Runaway Geass. CC remarked that she found it unusual that someone of Harry's character would gain such a Geass…until Sirius shared that the Potters were, allegedly, descended from the Peverells…and that they, supposedly, had been descendants of the Three Brothers from the wizarding fairytale. And after retelling that tale, CC mused that perhaps there was a link with Death, if such an entity existed on that world.

Later, Lelouch, under his guise as Zero, visited the four wizards in their hotel, and had used his Geass to interrogate them. Satisfied, he left the final command to keep Harry and Lelouch's identities secret, though for now, he kept his identity hidden. However, they had finally worked out a plan. They could transfigure parts of the slope into a series of barriers that could slow and eventually halt the avalanche. What's more, they could hide the barriers with a Notice Me Not until the time came. And Remus, in particular, was able to improve on Harry's Expansion Charm. If need be, Kallen could double up with Harry within the Guren with more ease.

Which was why, as the Phoenix Knights made their way up the slope of the Narita Mountains, Harry, in his guise as Warlock, was riding shotgun alongside Kallen. Of the other Phoenix Knights, only Ohgi had been told the plan. The former teacher seemed ill at ease, even with the wizards preparing the anti-avalanche barriers, but he accepted, reluctantly, that they were doing all they could to minimise casualties. Indeed, Lelouch had decided to choose one of his simulations that involved a little less power from the Radiant Wave Surger. Jeremiah and Villetta were organising a discreet evacuation of Narita as well, just in case.

"Nervous?" Kallen asked as they sat (well, Kallen was lying down on her front, as that was the piloting position for the Guren, giving Harry a lovely view of her toned rear) in the cockpit of the Guren.

"Of course I am," Harry said, his mask off with the cockpit closed, for now. "Even if these barriers succeed, and Narita is evacuated, we're going to be killing a lot of people, Britannians or not. And Lelouch's plan has the JLF's safety as secondary. I know Kusakabe threatened us in the hotel, and the JLF hasn't really done much lately, but still…I think Lelouch is using them as bait…a disposable decoy."

Kallen nodded solemnly. "My thoughts exactly…only, I'm not sure what to think about that. He did say helping them was a secondary objective, though. That means he's not wholly thinking of them as bait, right?"

"Yeah. I hope so. Then again, maybe Lelouch is hoping to use this as a means of persuading the JLF to join the Phoenix Knights. Or maybe this is just showing the Six Houses of Kyoto that we can do better than the JLF. Remember, they've been funding the JLF for ages, and what has the JLF done lately? To them, the Phoenix Knights must seem like a more attractive investment. Besides…from what we've seen, the JLF are still pretty hidebound, still into the whole traditional Japan thing. Lelouch was right about one thing: Japan as you knew it is gone."

"…I know. And restoring our freedom is going to be such a small, gradual process…it's so frustrating," Kallen said, the redhead said. "We're doing more than we ever did before, true, but…"

"I know. And I promise you, Kallen, I won't dally when I go back to deal with Voldemort," Harry said quietly.

Kallen shook her head. "No…you won't. Because I'm coming back with you." She looked behind her at him, her blue eyes meeting his emerald ones steadily. "After we deal with Voldemort, you and I are taking a brief vacation to Japan, the Japan of your world. I want to see our people with whatever freedom they have there. I want to see what we can be, and what we can become…"

* * *

Harry was glad that Ohgi had explained broad outlines of the plan earlier to the others. To them, it must've seemed like Lelouch had trapped them, with Cornelia's forces swarming the mountain. Over the Guren's radio after Lelouch had stared them down and gone into his personal Burai, he said, " _Dick move, Zero. Dick move._ "

" _Noted_ ," Lelouch responded dryly. " _Tsunade, it's time. Remember what we discussed._ "

"Yes, Zero," Kallen said, before she placed the Radiant Wave Surger on the excavator that Lelouch had chosen, and activated it at the setting he had designated. " _Alea iacta est_ ," she murmured(2).

Lelouch had noted her usage of the term. " _Indeed_ ," he said. " _The die is cast._ "

After a brief moment, during which they thought that nothing had happened, the ground seemed to erupt. And a massive landslide poured down the mountain, sweeping aside the Knightmares gathered in their path. Harry and Kallen watched anxiously as it approached the barriers, which seemed to appear out of nowhere…and then, they slammed into them. At first, it didn't seem like it was slowing down, but then soon, the massive avalanche slowed and thinned. By the time it reached the streets of Narita, it was little more than a cloud of dust. The streets of Narita would be filled with a layer of soil a few inches deep, with a few rocks causing property damage…but it was safe.

Harry and Kallen breathed sighs of relief, and Lelouch said, quietly, " _Right. It's done. Cornelia's unit is isolated, and the town is relatively safe. Warlock, Tsunade, you know what to do. Everyone, follow the plan!_ "

* * *

As they moved towards Cornelia, they found themselves intercepted by Kewell. Apparently the court-martial had merely demoted him, but in an attempt to avenge himself on Zero and Warlock, he had commandeered a Sutherland and was heading right for them. " _ZEROOOO! WARLOOOCK! YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME!_ "

Zero, in his Burai, taunted him. " _Still in the army, old chap? Sorry, but I don't have the time to deal with you, Orange boy._ "

The strangled noise that came from the radio couldn't be considered human. Kewell, unfortunately, had run on out alone, his fellow Purists not willing to get dragged down with him…or maybe Jeremiah and Villetta were holding them back. " _Orange?_ " he snarled. " _Orange?! ORANGE! THAT'S THE LAST INSULT! DIE, ZERO!_ "

At that point, Kallen intercepted him, knocking his rifle from his hands. "You're my dance partner, Purist," Kallen sneered over the external speakers. She leapt around him, confusing him, before grabbing his Sutherland, and gripping the head. "And it's the _Danse Macabre_." A little more quietly, she said, "Sorry." Because what she was about to do was potentially a cruel and unusual death, even for a Purist.

The Radiant Wave Surger was turned on full blast. Red energy poured through the gauntlet into the Sutherland, causing the components of the Knightmare to warp and bulge. Then, the screaming began. " _DAMN YOU! NOOOO!_ " Kewel screamed in rage and agony. Then, a wet, liquid noise came over the speakers, somewhere between a coughing fit and a torrent of vomit. " _Eleven…whore_ …" Kewell hissed over the speakers.

As a _coup de grace_ , Kallen released the clawed gauntlet…and then shoved it through the weakened cockpit. If Kewell wasn't dead, then the resulting explosion was a mercy. And given what they heard…well, Kallen and Harry were shaken. Kewell may have been a shit human being, but by the sound of it, he had all but been cooked alive.

"… _Tsunade, Warlock_ ," Lelouch said quietly. " _Remember our objective._ "

Harry and Kallen nodded, before the latter sent the Guren heading off towards Cornelia's position…

* * *

They soon received notification that Cornelia was under attack, as was her Royal Guard…but not by any member of the Phoenix Knights. A group of heavily-armed Knightmares, presumably from the JLF, were attacking, and Cornelia was withdrawing. The JLF was currently launching a massive counterattack against the Britannians.

However, the Guren managed to corner Cornelia in a small canyon. Harry peered at the caped Gloucester wielding the lance. He had to admit, Cornelia had a sense of style. " _Zero, this is Warlock. We've got Cornelia cornered. I'm commencing the next part of the operation._ "

And with that, he Apparated, landing on the cockpit of the Gloucester. "Alohamora," he snarled, and the cockpit was opened up by the spell, revealing a surprised Cornelia. Harry had to dodge a shot from her gunblade, before he Stunned her. He then pressed the Portkey into her hand. " _This is Warlock. I'm using the Portkey on Cornelia._ " Then, he said, " _Checkmate,_ " the activation phrase of the Portkey…

* * *

The cave was not so far away from Narita, and was chosen because it wouldn't be in the path of the landslide. Harry took out his radio, enhanced by Remus to allow it to connect from underground, and spoke into it. " _Zero, everyone…Cornelia is in position._ "

" _Understood. I'll be there as soon as possible_ ," Lelouch said.

Harry nodded, and sat down, using Incarcerous to wrap Cornelia in ropes, before reviving her after waiting some minutes. She sat bolt upright, and glared at Warlock in the light from a lantern Harry had set up. "You…" she hissed.

" _Save it, Cornelia. If we wanted to, we could have killed you. But that wasn't the aim here._ "

"And you think to use me as leverage against my father? You must be more stupid than you look, and that's quite the achievement."

Harry laughed bitterly. " _Sadly, no. Zero and I know how your father works, and he'd gladly sacrifice you to serve his own ends. No, today is more about not only defeating you…but also showing something that will have you realise you have a few misconceptions about us…and about those you serve._ "

Cornelia peered at him, before a thoughtful look touched her otherwise angry features. "Euphie told me that you claimed Clovis to have been involved in human experimentation. I find that hard to believe."

"Believe it or not, it happened," drawled a voice. It was CC, albeit dressed in the dress uniform of a Phoenix Knight, complete with a visored cap hiding the upper part of her face, approaching from the cave mouth. "I was the one he experimented on."

Cornelia's gaze switched over to CC. "You? You look remarkably healthy and hale for an alleged victim of human experimentation."

CC merely rolled her eyes behind her visor, took out a gun, and then held it to her temple. The report of the weapon in the cave was deafening, and gore sprayed everywhere. Cornelia stared in horror as CC collapsed to the ground in a puddle of her own blood and brains. And then, her eyes widened even more as CC groaned, and got up, her head healing itself before her eyes. "What devilry is this?" Cornelia hissed.

"Actually, I got this from a nun," CC snarked, resettling the visor on her face. "And no, it's not at all pleasant. I did that purely as a demonstration, one I do not wish to repeat. Can you see why your brother would want to experiment upon me?"

Harry could see the gears turning in Cornelia's head, coming to a conclusion she didn't like. "He wanted immortality," Cornelia murmured.

" _Exactly_ ," came the voice of Zero, as Lelouch, in full regalia, emerged from the darkness. " _For the sake of covering up his human experiments, Clovis ordered the murder of hundreds, no, thousands of Japanese. It was CC here who pulled the trigger, in revenge for what had happened. I took the credit to exonerate Suzaku Kururugi, but I would have gladly done the deed myself. Consider yourself fortunate, Cornelia, that your plan to re-enact the Shinjuku massacre in Saitama was foiled. You blamed the wrong people for the deaths of your siblings…especially seeing since two of them_ _ **are still alive**_ _._ "

Cornelia's eyes, which had narrowed once more at the mention of Clovis, widened once more. "…What?"

" _It's not a revelation I would make lightly_ ," Lelouch said. " _After all, Lelouch and Nunnally have every reason to stay incognito. They could be used as diplomatic tools once more, disposable. And gentle girls like Nunnally or Euphemia have no place in your father's philosophy of Social Darwinism. But a lot of your anger towards the Japanese, I feel, comes from the belief that, as the official story goes, they were executed by the Japanese prior to the invasion. In truth, they barely escaped what were possibly OSI forces after the initial invasion began…and certainly Britannian forces._ "

"…You lie. The Emperor would never do that!" But Harry could tell that Cornelia was having doubts, that she didn't quite believe what she was saying.

" _He discarded the children of a wife he was supposed to have loved in the same way one wipes shit from a shoe_ ," Lelouch scoffed. " _Warlock has spoken to me of what you and he discussed, about how Marianne asked you to remove the guards you had posted. Even if the Emperor himself did not order their deaths, Marianne had enough enemies in the court to ensure that_ _ **someone**_ _highly-placed sent assassins after them, and Charles zi Britannia took advantage of that to use them as martyrs for a_ casus belli _. But they survived, and are in hiding._ "

Cornelia seemed to finally grasp this, and why they would remain in hiding. "…Are they well?" she asked suddenly.

" _Yes_ ," Lelouch said. " _Your actions are out of misplaced anger, Cornelia. The Japanese are not responsible for your siblings' deaths. And while I have no doubt that you will do your duty and attempt to pacify Japan regardless…your true enemy is closer to home. The Emperor and many at his court value you as a general, but little more, and Euphemia as a bargaining chip and breeding sow. The Empire is a twisted rotting structure, without honour, only misplaced conviction in how might makes right. I spare your life because, out of all the possible Viceroys, you at least have some semblance of honour and fairness, what you attempted to do in Shinjuku aside. I shudder to think what the likes of Carine or Schneizel would do. But keep in mind…Britannia's days in Japan are numbered, and so are the Emperor's. However, one thing I will promise you, in all our future endeavours. Your sister is safe from my wrath. And she always will be. Warlock, CC, come along…_ "

Harry delayed long enough to remove the ropes around Cornelia, but she didn't make a move to stop them. She just watched them leave, her eyes filled with anger and hatred…but also contemplation. But as they moved towards the entrance, they heard her voice echo out from the cave. "Zero! Warlock! Even if you are telling the truth, this changes little! A lot of good men died today thanks to you! And it is my duty to pacify Area 11, and quash all resistance!"

" _This is war, Cornelia!_ " Lelouch called back. " _Soldiers die in war! And Japan will not go down peacefully…_ "

* * *

They'd reconvened at the mobile HQ later, having managed to withdraw from Narita. Lelouch was studying a printout given to him by Ohgi, and smiling wearily. "No civilian casualties in Narita so far. And it seems that in snatching Cornelia, we gave the JLF enough time to evacuate in the confusion. Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords helped in that regard too: they had been away on another mission, and had intervened shortly after the avalanche, taking on Cornelia's Royal Guard. The wizards are back at their hotel."

Kallen frowned. "Look, I understand taking Cornelia hostage or killing her was a bad idea, given who her replacement could be, but why tell them about your survival, Lelouch?"

"Psychological warfare. I pointed out that she has less reason to go after the Japanese like she did earlier," Lelouch said. "In addition, by showing off CC's powers and stating that Clovis was involved in experimenting on CC, it means that she will be looking more into Clovis' research. And by instilling doubt in her about her father and the imperial court, we sow the seeds for a possible defection. It's a long shot, though, but at the very least, should we begin to uncover more of this conspiracy around VV, then we may have an ally of convenience at best. And if nothing else, I have also potentially given Cornelia an apple of discord. I can use Jeremiah to continue cultivating her."

"Still, we're playing a dangerous game, Lelouch," Ohgi pointed out. "Cornelia is still our enemy, even if she's your half-sister."

"Indeed, and if I need to, I will kill her," Lelouch said, meeting Ohgi's gaze with his own. "But for now, Cornelia is more useful where she is. I won't argue that sentiment doesn't play a role, true…but Cornelia, ironically, is our shield. That being said, we need more sources in the Britannian court, in case someone else gets involved…"

CC suddenly said, "Wait. There's something you need to see." She had been examining a laptop she had. "I've had some of the Phoenix Knights checking flights and boats from the Chinese Federation for the past few days. And we now have another issue." She showed them what was on the laptop: the image of a slender young man with long silvery hair, dressed in a coat, with a visor and headphones, with an unnerving smile on his face.

Harry asked, "Is that him? Is that Mao?"

"Yes. He's come out of hiding to find me. We must be cautious…"

 **CHAPTER 17 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Oh dear. Narita may have been a success…but Mao's come to rain on their parade. Next chapter, Kirihara and Mao make their debuts! It'll be a while coming, though…**

 **Oh, and I should hasten to say that Cornelia being confronted in the cave system was inspired by** ** _The Black Emperor_** **, albeit with a number of key differences.**

 **1\. Of course, Harry's Geass is based on the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception from** ** _Tsukihime_** **. Although Harry can kill CC temporarily with them, the Geass doesn't affect her enough to kill her permanently, and certainly has less effect than Shiki had on Arcueid.**

 **2\. 'The die is cast', reputed to have been uttered by Julius Caesar prior to crossing the Rubicon river, and thus sparking off a civil war in Rome.**


	19. Chapter 18: Kirihara of Kyoto

**CHAPTER 18:**

 **KIRIHARA OF KYOTO**

Lelouch looked at the gathered Phoenix Knights, surrounded on all sides by recording equipment. It was a failsafe, more for the Phoenix Knights than himself. As they had suspected, the victory at Narita, despite the deaths of a few members of the Phoenix Knights (as well as a few who were captured), had given them a huge morale boost. Lelouch had said that he would be revealing his identity, but with conditions.

Lelouch said, his voice warped by his mask's voice changer, " _Narita was a great victory. Not only have we struck a great victory against Cornelia, but thanks to Warlock, CC and my discussion with her, we have potentially sewn the seed of discord in the enemy ranks. Therefore, I think the time has come to reveal my identity to you…but with one condition. It is only if you consent to allow me to use the Geass to prevent you from revealing my identity. If you refuse, then you cannot learn my identity._ "

Predictably, Tamaki exploded. "Hey, what the hell? How do we know you won't use that shit to brainwash us?!"

"That's what the cameras are for," Harry said. "Hell, you can even use your cellphones, as long as you delete the footage afterwards. The recording will record what Zero's orders under the Geass are, and as long as they are only an order to avoid revealing his identity…"

Lelouch nodded. " _Indeed. This is as much security for myself as for you. You already know of the Geass, true, and an enemy who knows of it could exploit your fears about it to drive a wedge between us. However, my Geass can only be used once per person, even if Harry uses a_ Finite. _I am taking an immense risk revealing my true identity. If you feel these terms are unacceptable, then you are free to leave the room until this is over. I don't intend to tell any newer recruits, nor do I intend to expel any members who refuse to these terms._ "

The various members of the Phoenix Knights looked amongst themselves, before they finally agreed. Tamaki agreed surprisingly quickly. So Lelouch opened up the part of his mask covering his Geass. " _By my command, you will not be able to communicate by any means my true identity to anyone outside of this room!_ "

The gathered members of the Phoenix Knights' expressions slackened, and a chorus of acknowledgements filled the room. Ohgi, Harry, Kallen, CC and Nagata were the only ones who were unaffected, because they were standing behind Lelouch. Then, they soon blinked, and Tamaki checked his cellphone, and grimaced. "Okay," the ornery redhead said, reluctantly deleting the footage. "And you say you can only do that to us once."

"Yes," CC said. "Not all Geass powers have that limit, but Zero's does. Zero?"

Zero, after a moment, lifted off his helmet. "A Britannian!" Tamaki snarled. "I should've known!"

"And you work with Harry," Lelouch said. "I thought you'd be a little more open-minded, Tamaki. The name I go by is Lelouch Lamperouge. However…" He took a deep breath, and gathered himself to admit, "I was born Lelouch vi Britannia."

* * *

Predictably there was an uproar, and it took Harry, Kallen and Ohgi to calm them down, enough for Lelouch to explain. The Phoenix Knights accepted his explanation with varying degrees of scepticism, wariness and suspicion, though Lelouch's discussion of Nunnally and what he was trying to do for her helped matters. He did have to field more than a few questions about Cornelia. However, they accepted that he had more than enough reason to despise the Emperor, and that he only viewed taking the throne as a means to an end to freeing Japan. CC also had to field questions about the Geass, and the dangers of using it. The latter was because Tamaki demanded that they be given superpowers.

The discussion had concluded with Tamaki vowing solemnly that, if Lelouch betrayed them, Tamaki would ensure that they were avenged…by shooting Lelouch in the back.

Harry was amused when Lelouch, in order to keep his cover, had to go with Shirley to a concert. However, it was shortly afterwards that Lelouch broke it to the orange-haired girl gently that he was more of a 'just friends' kind of guy to her, something which didn't go down well with her. At the next Student Council meeting, Harry and Kallen had to comfort the heartbroken girl in tandem with Milly, who had been infatuated with Lelouch. In truth, Harry and Kallen knew that he was trying to protect her by distancing himself from her, but still, it was a bit cruel in Harry's opinion. Only Lelouch confessing that he felt bad about doing so prevented Harry from hexing him…too much.

He had trouble sitting down for a couple of hours, though.

* * *

The summons from Kyoto came at about the same time as Shirley's date with Lelouch, though thankfully, the actual meeting was a couple of days after that. They were waiting like something out of a spy flick, Lelouch and Harry, on a misty street, before they were picked up…with CC waiting in the Zero costume, for a contingency.

Soon, Harry and CC in Zero's costume were heading out, with Ohgi, Kallen and Nagato in tow. They were driven in the limousine they were being taken through for a long time, the windows blacked out, before they were taken up some sort of elevator system. And when they got out, Kallen and the others stared out of a massive window in the oversized industrial room they were in. "We're at Mount Fuji," she whispered.

Harry nodded. Mount Fuji, in this world, had massive mining buildings built into the side, to mine Sakuradite. " _A shame_ ," Harry remarked. " _A shame Fuji's beauty is marred like this._ "

"Yes, it is, isn't it, Warlock?" rasped a voice from behind them. They turned to find a man sitting within a sort of veiled box, old and gnarled hands grasping an equally old and gnarled staff. "A sacred and pure mountain like this, defiled by the will of the Empire. A rape of the natural beauty of this place, a reflection of the rape of Japan. It pains me. I should apologise for hiding my face, but you too hide your own miens, Zero and Warlock. But trust is based on mutuality. So, show me your faces."

With a gesture, a group of Burais entered the room. Kallen looked fit to protest, but Harry gently touched her shoulder and shook her head. Harry glared at the hidden man. " _And how do I trust you, or your bodyguards? I don't like having guns pointed at me, thank you very much. In fact…EXPELLIARMUS!_ "

A wave of magic smashed out of Harry's hand, and even the Knightmares found themselves divested of their guns, which clattered to Harry's feet. All save for one, which then promptly disabled the others, drove over to the veiled man, and aimed its weapon at him. " _Your methods and ways of thinking are obsolete. You've gone soft, Kirihara_ ," Zero's voice said from within the Burai, before he opened it up, keeping his hand on a trigger. He got off the Burai, keeping his hand on the remote trigger as he did so.

"Another Zero?!" Kirihara, assuming it was him, hissed.

" _Yes. I had an associate act as a decoy. That being said, I'm not sure I trust your subordinates with the secrets of my face, or that of Warlock_ ," Lelouch said, walking forward, indicating for Harry and the others to follow him.

"They would rather die than betray me," Kirihara snarled.

" _And yet, I was able to sneak into this meeting. You used to back Prime Minister Kururugi's regime like many industrialists, but when Japan fell, you managed to dodge the tribunals. You did so by showing your belly, or at least giving the appearance of such. Many curse your name as synonymous with treachery, like Judas Iscariot, or Brutus the Younger, or Benjamin Franklin. In truth, you are one of the leaders of the Six Houses of Kyoto, covert supporters of resistance groups throughout Japan by supplying funds and materiel and weapons of all kinds_ ," Lelouch, having approached the veiled box, Warlock standing alongside him, as well as CC, stood there and looked down at them. " _The Phoenix Knights are aware that their heaviest hitters are not Japanese. I am Britannian by birth, while Warlock was born in what was once England. However, our goals are the same: the overthrow of Britannian rule inside Japan, and eventually, the destruction of the tainted ideology of Charles zi Britannia._ "

"And you think you can do such a thing?" Kirihara asked sceptically.

" _I can because I must, because I have many reasons that compel me_ ," Lelouch said, before he reached for his helmet. "I'm glad I'm dealing with you," he said as he removed it. Harry and CC removed their own masks.

Kirihara gasped, and he twitched aside part of the veil covering him, revealing a wizened-looking old man with a bulbous head and shrewd, if beady, eyes, a smirk of recognition twitching at Kirihara's lips. " _You_ …it has been so many years since that time…I see…though I do not recognise Warlock."

"I'm nobody you would know," Harry said. "Nobody cared who I was until I put on the mask."

Kirihara chuckled mirthlessly. "No, I suppose not. So… _Zero_ …did you come to take me as a hostage?"

"No. I came for the same reason you asked me here. For assistance."

"Ha! The seed planted eight years ago has indeed borne bitter fruit," Kirihara said, before laughing, a cracked braying sound. "Yes…I see…Ohgi, Kallen, Nagato…if you didn't know already, your leader here is a true enemy of Britannia! Intelligence, strategic support, materiel, weapons…you shall have it." Kirihara's shrewd eyes looked over at Harry. "Still…what's your story, Warlock?"

"…I'm a wizarding messiah from another world," Harry said, knowing that this would bemuse or bamboozle the older man. "Kallen, Ohgi, Nagato…they showed me kindness when they didn't have to." He stretched the truth there, considering how suspicious Kallen had been before he gained her trust. "In my world, Japan is free. I hope to make it a reality here, with a minimal loss of life on both sides, like the precise cuts of a Masamune sword(1)."

Kallen's brother Naoto had told him about the legends of Masamune and his swords, how they were swords for justice and peace, that didn't cut unnecessarily. Kirihara raised an eyebrow, and then looked at Lelouch. "And you agree with his sentiment?"

"Yes…but if is my destiny, I will walk the Path of Blood. I thank you for your support, Lord Kirihara."

Kirihara grinned mirthlessly. "Oh, I thank you. If nothing else, this ought to be entertaining to watch…"

"Incidentally, before I go…how fares Lady Kaguya?" Lelouch asked.

Kirihara chuckled. "Canny, aren't you? She's a spirited lass as always. Should I tell her you live?"

"…No. For now, the less people who know that I live, the better. One day, perhaps…"

* * *

Ohgi sighed quietly after they made their way back to base. "That…could have gone badly. Very badly."

"I told you I knew Kirihara," Lelouch said. He looked at Harry. "And you did well with the Masamune reference."

"Thank Naoto for that," Harry said, a morose look coming over his face. "He and Ohgi taught me much about Japanese culture, the pre-invasion stuff."

"I was a schoolteacher before the invasion, remember?" Ohgi said, smiling softly. "I never thought I'd see the day when I would teach a Britannian, or at least the closest thing to it, and they'd be willing to listen."

Lelouch smiled in his turn. "I've studied your history, even that stripped of the Britannian propaganda…but maybe I should listen to a lesson or two from you. I'd be a fool if I thought I had nothing to learn from anyone. In truth, I had only a very few months to experience your culture before my father made a palimpsest of Japan. In any case, Mao aside, I think our next actions should be to start absorbing the last remnants of the Japanese Liberation Front, concentrating on Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords. As sedentary as Tohdoh has been over the past few years since his Miracle, a man so experienced in warfare would be an undeniable asset, and the Four Holy Swords, given what I was told during the Narita battle, are excellent Knightmare pilots. It helps that I knew Tohdoh prior to the invasion. Other members of the JLF…well, some may not wish to join our cause. Especially after our actions at Lake Kawaguchi."

"So, what?" Kallen asked. "Are we going to extend feelers to key people of the JLF?"

"Yes. We need to begin making overtures. The JLF may have been resting on their laurels, but they are also primarily composed of former Japanese military personnel, and no offence to you or your group, but you are not soldiers, though you are well-disciplined, Tamaki aside."

"None taken," Ohgi said.

"Still…with Mao hanging around, we need to find a way to deal with him soon," CC mused. "Having him potentially expose your identities could be disastrous. I'll begin working out a plan…"

* * *

The silvery-haired young man wearing headphones and a visor grimaced as he moved through the crowds. He despised the unwashed masses. How tedious and asinine their thoughts were. Complaints about their lot in life, avarice, what banal things they wanted to buy, and the worst of it were the sexual fantasies! He did NOT want to know that you COULD do it like that with a tea cosy and a spoon(2), or what exactly you could fit into certain orifices! He much preferred the aggravating white noise of all those thoughts blending together, the loud susurration of minds thinking, to hearing that sort of thing.

He thought the only way he could stay sane was to listen to the soothing voice of the love of his life, recorded soundbites from CC. But a truth he would never acknowledge was that such a thing was futile, for he was already completely and utterly insane. He had drowned in the sea of thoughts, and what was left was a shambling revenant of a man, fixated not on consuming flesh, but possessing the one he considered to be his love.

Mao had a deranged smirk that looked superficially serene, but which belied the madness beneath his mien. He would _have_ CC, no matter what the cost…and anyone who made the mistake of getting in his way would be dealt with, one way or the other…

 **CHAPTER 18 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, we've had the meeting with Kirihara. I promised the debut of Mao in this chapter…but by the time I finished with Kirihara, I realised I had no room left for him. So, the next chapter, which may be a while, will have Mao's debut. Yay, everyone's favourite psychic** ** _yandere_** **is coming!**

 **Oh, before I get onto my review-answering, I'd like to plug a potential new** ** _Code Geass_** **crossover in** ** _Quatermass' Compost Heap_** **. Now, many of you following** ** _Plenipotent Player Prince_** **will have seen it anyway…but for those of you who haven't, give it a go. It has Lelouch as the reincarnation of a certain Marvel Cinematic Universe character…**

 **Review-answering time! Regarding Harry or the wizards being able to use a Finite to remove the Geass they have, Lelouch actually put that into his Geass command to forbid them from using it…and Lelouch asked Harry to refrain from using one until the time came that he could trust them wholly. Sorry, I should've addressed that sooner.**

 **comodo50** **: Yes. CC was still affected by it, but only because, if it weren't for her Code, she would die. She is capable of dying when the Code is taken from her, therefore, the lines still appear, they just don't kill her permanently.**

 **Jlargent** **: As amusing as that would be, sadly, Luna's not figuring in this story, not in the** ** _Code Geass_** **universe…**

 **1\. Masamune is one of the most famous swordsmiths of Japan, with many legends around his weapons. I highly encourage you to look him up on Wikipedia.**

 **2\. A reference to a vague but…** ** _interesting_** **sex act Agatha Heterodyne is disturbed by while masquerading as a fortune teller in** ** _Girl Genius_** **. I refer to this in my Potterverse crossover** ** _Girl Genius' Animagus_** **. Plug, plug.**


	20. Chapter 19: The Madness of Mao

**CHAPTER 19:**

 **THE MADNESS OF MAO**

CC frowned as she looked at Hermione. She had gone to them to consult with them, Lelouch, Harry and Kallen in tow. "So, as long as you're within a certain range, and have a general idea of whom to look for, your Point Me spells will indicate a direction?"

The bushy-haired witch nodded. "Why?"

"I'd like to try triangulation," CC said. "Mao may be insane, but he isn't utterly stupid. He might try to avoid areas with CCTV coverage. And your Patronus spells…can they home in on someone?"

"Only if you know them, or the location," Remus said, the grizzled werewolf looking pensive. "What's the range of his Geass?"

"500 metres along the ground, and up to a height of 300 metres," CC said. "His range reduces as he concentrates on a single person."

"Would Occlumency help?" Sirius asked.

"I doubt it. The Geass is meant to read all minds, save for my own. But given what little you told me, Occlumency is a purely mental discipline rather than a magical one. Geass would bypass that easily."

"Great," Tonks snarked. "We have a mind-reading nutter with a thing for you. Who's to say he hasn't found out something about you already?"

"He would have made contact with me otherwise, or else with one of the Phoenix Knights if he discerned that they knew me from their thoughts. But the longer he remains in Japan, especially within Tokyo, the greater the likelihood that he will find someone who knows me. I have tried to avoid being spotted by other people due to my being a fugitive from Code-R, but even so, my appearance is distinctive enough that a stray thought could have him concentrate more." Her eyes widened. "No…" She looked at Lelouch. "Suzaku has seen me. Have you warned Gottwald and Nu?"

"I warned those two once I heard of Mao being in Japan, but I had forgotten Suzaku had seen you," Lelouch said, grimacing in self-reproach. "Gottwald and Nu nearly considered putting Mao on the wanted list, but his Geass makes him dangerous, especially if he gets too close to Gottwald and Nu, and reveals the secrets they hold."

CC nodded. "Sensible. Well, we'll need to find him. Once we do, and confirm his location, we need to work out a plan. I will be the bait. I'm the only one who can get close enough to him without giving away the plan."

"I thought you were working out a plan," Harry said.

"I was thinking some sort of ranged attack, but I don't know which of you would be good at sniping, or else that using a sniper rifle may attract attention from unwanted corners. Ditto any long range Knightmare attack. Truth be told…I'm not sure I truly want Mao dead. I pity him, and it was my fault, the result of my own selfish desires, that he ended up the way he did. He is the victim of my actions."

"Maybe…but will he hurt innocent people to get to you?" Kallen asked. CC nodded. "Then we will have to stop him. I'm sorry."

"No…I should apologise. He is my mistake. I had believed foolishly that he would not venture forth from China to track me down, risking what little is left of his sanity. And my own hubris may cost you your lives…"

* * *

As they began tracking Mao down, Harry looked over at Lelouch, CC and Kallen. For now, the four of them were in mufti. "What do you think will happen next?" Harry asked after he made his reading and Lelouch marked it on the map he'd brought with him.

"Our operations to track down the JLF and reach out to them is going according to plan. Some are currently getting involved in Sakuradite smuggling, but the Four Swords are out on their own missions with Tohdoh. Bringing them in will be a priority. I knew Tohdoh from the Kururugi residence. I may be able to persuade him to join us by revealing my identity, and with him, the Four Swords. However, the bigger questions are what to do about Cornelia, Euphie, and Suzaku," Lelouch said. He then frowned as he heard something through the radio earpiece, and ruled another line through the map. "Of those three, Euphemia is by far the least known quantity. Cornelia is a brilliant commander, but she thinks in quite straightforward ways. So too does Euphemia, but her application of her ways makes her unpredictable, and what's more, she's susceptible to influence from the rest of my family, especially Schneizel. Suzaku basically follows orders, so outside of combat, he should be predictable."

"And why do you think Euphemia would be unpredictable?" Kallen asked.

"Because she follows her heart, Kallen. Euphie is smart, true, but she follows her heart. And remember what I said about her being skilled at diplomacy. She might either figure out a solution to dealing with Japan that will have the Phoenix Knights in a bind…or else Schneizel will send her something. Say…what if she declared Japan, or part of it, to be a special zone where Britannians and Japanese had equal rights?"

CC nodded as Lelouch drew another line. "They'd have you over a barrel. You would either be forced to cooperate, or lose your justification for using force. Many of your supporters would promptly flock to that zone. And who could blame them?"

"Exactly. Don't get me wrong, doing so would only serve to make myself and Nunnally more vulnerable to Britannia, to say nothing of the Emperor doing something to negate Euphie's good intentions. But in the short term, it would make the Phoenix Knights obsolete."

"I'm surprised you thought of this," Harry said.

"I'm a chess player, and one thing about chess is that you have to think many moves ahead in many permutations," Lelouch said, ruling through the map once more. "If we're lucky, then the Phoenix Knights will have won Japan without any further violence, and we can become sentinels of this country. But…if that is the case, I may have to go on alone. I still need to find my mother's killer, and put paid to them."

"It's worth pointing out that VV may decide to interfere with this, if such a scenario comes to pass," CC pointed out. "Wiping out any chance of peace? Dealing with the Phoenix Knights? He'd take a delight in it." She frowned as she peered at the location marked by the map. "…Well, well…I should have guessed."

"Clovisland?" Kallen asked, peering at the map.

"It's perfect," Lelouch said. "That theme park has been barely used since Clovis' demise, and it was rarely attended anyway, once people got sick and tired of the dedication to his ego. Not to mention that demolishing a hospital, even one used by Japanese, didn't go down too well." He looked into the distance, at where Clovisland was, and then Tokyo Tower. Then, he frowned as he heard something from the radio. Then, a smirk came over his features. "Yes…Mr Lupin, I believe that might do nicely. _Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes_."

"Sorry, what?" Kallen asked.

"It's Latin," CC said. "It means, _I fear the Greeks even when they bear gifts_. A reference to the wooden horse used to end the Siege of Troy. But what do you mean?"

"CC…I will have to ask you to do something very cruel," Lelouch said. "Something cruel to Mao. Can I trust you?"

"…Will it give him peace?" CC asked.

"…Yes. The only peace he will ever know."

"…I understand…"

* * *

Harry watched from the Tokyo Tower through Omnioculars as CC approached what had to be Mao. The lanky, silver-haired young man had a noticeably deranged look to him…but knowing what CC had said, he couldn't help but pity him. CC had manipulated him, just like Dumbledore had done to Harry. But at least CC had remorse for what happened. He had seen the moisture in her eyes. He could hear the regret in her voice.

In any case, Mao was a threat to them all. And they needed CC as an ally.

What Remus had suggested was simple: create a pair of objects. In this case, rings. One of them would be a Portkey that, when CC activated it with the passphrase, would send the wearer up into the edge of space. Even if they didn't die from the exposure to vacuum and hard radiation, only a Code wielder could survive the ensuing re-entry…unless they were a quick-witted enough wizard who could either use enough skill to Apprate back to Earth without splattering themselves on the ground, created another Portkey, or Transfigured something.

CC approached Mao. Her ring had a listening charm on it, so they could overhear what happened. " _Ah, CC! So you have come!_ " he yelped " _I didn't think you take the initiative and come to me!_ "

" _Mao_ ," CC said. " _It's been a long time. When I heard of your presence here, I believed a gift was in order._ "

" _A gift? From you, CC? Oh, how wonderful! You shouldn't have. No, but really…_ _ **you shouldn't have**_ _._ "

Quick as a flash, Mao had pulled out a gun, and fired, and CC sprawled on the ground, the rings rolling away. " _We have a nice little house in Australia, you and I_ ," the deranged mindreader said. " _The only gift I need is you_ …" Suddenly, he shot her in the limbs, immobilising her, before throwing away the gun, and pulling from his coat a chainsaw. " _I'm sorry about this, CC, I really am, but I'm afraid you'll have to go as baggage_ …"

Harry snarled. " _Harry,_ _ **don't!**_ " Lelouch snapped over the radio. " _When you get in range, he'll hear your thoughts!_ "

"CC's in trouble!" Harry yelled, his Geass activating, and then, he Apparated…

* * *

…And appeared between CC and Mao with a loud crack! Mao, startled, had his eyes wide beneath his visor. "What the hell?! Wait…you're Warlock! If you don't stop, then I'll…"

"DIE!" Harry roared, slashing with a Cutting Curse along one of the lines he could see on Mao's body. The deranged mind-reader was instantly bisected, a look of surprise on his features as his torso and abdomen separated, blood and viscera spraying everywhere.

From where his upper body resided, Mao begin to shudder and shake. "CC?" he asked plaintively. "CC?"

"…I'm here, Mao," CC said quietly to the Chinese mindreader.

"CC," Mao said, looking at the green-haired immortal. "…I can't feel my legs…I can't feel the pain…"

"…Mao…wait for me in C's World," CC said, tears glistening in her eyes.

Mao whimpered gently, before his last breath came out in a sigh. And Harry, on seeing the life leave the bisected corpse of Mao, deactivated his Geass. "…Shit," he muttered softly, staring at the mutilated corpse in horror. It wsn't the first death he had caused, not by a long shot…but he had been surprised by his own savagery. "What the hell did I just do?"

"…You gave him peace," CC said, sitting up with difficulty, grimacing in pain. "You're affected by his death because it was so brutal. I must confess…so was I. I didn't want him dead, even if it was the price of ensuring he would not interfere with the Phoenix Knights."

"…So…do you hate me for killing him?"

"No. I feel sorrow for his passing. The brutality was unnecessary…but you did it to defend me," CC said, getting shakily to her feet, and then walking gingerly over to Harry, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Harry…thank you."

"…But will I end up like him? Consumed by my Geass?"

"…It's possible to overcome Runaway Geass through sheer force of will, Harry."

"And Mao was too weak?" Harry asked bitterly.

"Sadly, yes. My selfishness condemned him to this fate," CC said, looking down at the corpse, staggering over, and then kneeling, closing the staring eyes of Mao. "Now he waits for me, in C's World."

"And what the hell is that? An afterlife?" Harry asked.

"Of a sort. A more correct definition would be a noosphere, a realm of thought and information, the collective unconsciousness of humanity," CC said. She sighed quietly. "You asked me earlier whether I should hate you. In truth, the reverse is true. A long life just allows me to accumulate more sins. There really isn't much difference between me and Dumbledore, in the end, when you think about it. I've manipulated a lot of people. Mao was just one of the latest." She began chuckling bleakly, tears running from her eyes. "I've become just like that damned nun who forced her Code on me in the first place."

"…Nun?" Harry asked.

"…The one who gave me my Geass," CC said. "A Geass born from a simple desire of an orphaned peasant girl. A desire to be loved, a desire that turned into a curse. A Geass that allowed me to make someone fall in love with me. I too developed Runaway Geass…I think you can guess how well that turned out. And after that point, the nun put me through hell until I accepted her Code."

Harry considered what she said. Could he really, truly trust her, then? She had admitted to being worse than Dumbledore. She admitted to using Lelouch and Harry to her own ends.

But the emotion he saw, he felt, was genuine. This was someone who sought redemption, or would die trying. And to tell the truth, she had been more helpful than Dumbledore, even if she was still reticent about a number of matters.

As if sensing his conflict, she said, "Hermione told me that I can make an Unbreakable Vow, that I will not knowingly betray you. If I break it, I may very well die permanently. And as I possess a Code, I technically have magic, of a different stripe to your world, but still magic."

"…You'd go that far?"

CC turned to face him, and gave him a sad smile. "I know you find it difficult to trust me, and you would find it even more so, if you knew everything about what I have done…but I am your partner, along with that of Lelouch and Kallen. Keeping you alive and at liberty is what works for me."

Harry considered it. Then, he asked, "You don't mind?"

"No. And even if I do betray you…maybe I will die for good."

"…Then I'd like that. I know this doesn't show much trust, but…"

"Harry…you've been burned before. I know the sting of betrayal too well, both giving and receiving. I'd rather have you on my side than not."

* * *

In the end, CC took the Unbreakable Vow a short while later (Mao's remains having been disposed of), making it between herself and Harry, with Hermione doing the ritual proper. Afterwards, she smiled ruefully. "Like the geass of old, not the power, but of the geass that bound one to their fate."

"That Geass, though…" Kallen said. "It's horrifying, what it did to Mao. Harry…I don't want you to use that on another living being unless you need to. It's one thing to kill with a weapon, but…"

Harry nodded mutely. There was such an urge to kill Mao, even if it was to protect CC, that it was disturbing. But Mao also lingered before he died, and that was the most horrific thing. His death had been inevitable, but he clung on long enough to be, well, pitiable. That he died as the orphan child from China CC had inflicted the Geass on.

Even without the Geass, it was too easy to take a life. But the times Harry had done so so far, it was generally at one remove, detached from the one he killed, the JLF soldiers at Lake Kawaguchi aside. Even though Mao had been about to use a chainsaw on CC…it just felt _wrong_ , killing him like that.

"A sword of Masamune, Harry," Kallen said gently, discerning his thoughts. "You are a sword of Masamune, not a Muramasa sword. Justice, not bloodthirst." Then, after a moment, she said, "Harry…let's go home…"

He looked at her, his redhaired warrior, and nodded. And he took her hand, and Apparated away after making some subdued farewells. He knew that his nightmares would be populated with the bisected body of Mao for some time to come. Yes, it had been done to save CC, and Mao was a deranged lunatic…but his death, more than anything else, had affected Harry…

 **CHAPTER 19 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Wow. I did not really expect that outcome with Harry, but it seemed a logical progression to him actually using his Geass on another living being. Now, Harry has killed before, but it's one thing to kill in battle. Yes, he can use magic or a gun to kill someone easily…but he cut Mao in two effectively, and left Mao lingering for a few seconds before he died. Okay, Mao's batshit crazy and a cruel manipulator, but he's nowhere near as bad as some of the other characters in** ** _Code Geass_** **. Including, frankly, Lelouch himself after the Euphienator incident. Seriously, that was coldhearted shit he did, exploiting what happened with one of his few relatives that he actually loved.**

 **Speaking of which, not only have I finally watched the entirety of the first season, but I've also obtained** ** _Akito the Exiled_** **. I'm going to be watching that some time in the near future.**

 **Anyway, don't worry. Harry won't be angsting for too long. He'll have the others to help, including some help from unexpected corners…and thus some needed development of a character who needs it.**

 **Now, I alluded to a possible** ** _Thor_** **crossover with** ** _Code Geass_** **in the last chapter. I mentioned this in the latest chapter of** ** _Plenipotent Player Prince_** **, but I'd like to point out that, for now,** ** _Lelouch Liesmith_** **has been shelved. I may get back to it, and I may not. That's the way of ideas. I still have thoughts on possible** ** _Code Geass_** **crossovers.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	21. Chapter 20: Royalty, Mortality, and

**CHAPTER 20:**

 **ROYALTY, MORTALITY, AND LOYALTIES**

Lelouch hung up the phone, grimacing. "I suppose it had to happen sooner rather than later," he said.

"What's wrong?" Kallen asked. They were convening in Lelouch's rooms earlier the next morning.

"Cornelia and Euphemia have found out where we are," Lelouch said. "According to Jeremiah, they spoke to Suzaku, had him over a barrel. Only their assurance that they wouldn't reveal my survival to the Emperor got him to talk. Still…this could be good. It's a risk, but…if I can succeed in cultivating Cornelia as an ally…"

"Yeah, we know, we get one of the most powerful generals in Britannia, as well as the current Viceroy of Japan, on our side," Kallen said, a little sardonically. "But don't expect me to like her. I can admire her skill in battle, and that's it."

"I agree," Harry said. "We'd have better luck with Euphemia."

"True enough. Euphemia would be easier to woo…but Cornelia is a greater prize." Lelouch then looked at Kallen and Harry. "Both Cornelia and Euphie will be visiting us today, as discreetly as possible. I've got to warn Nunnally. She knows I'm in contact with Jeremiah, even if she's unaware of exactly how. Incidentally, I may be bringing in Sayoko discreetly into the Phoenix Knights: believe it or not, she's a trained _kunoichi_ that the Ashfords retained."

"And what about Ried?"

"I'm having Jeremiah and Villetta do some discreet digging," Lelouch said. "However, Jeremiah was able to figure out why. Ried's discontent is with Britannia as a history-making entity. He wants to see something new happen, to document and record it. The Phoenix Knights, Zero and Warlock are, to him, the stuff of legend, and he wants to be the scribe for it." Lelouch scoffed. "He's a useful little parasite, but unlike the core members of the Phoenix Knights, I won't be revealing my identity to him, if I bring him on board…"

* * *

CC agreed to go into hiding while Cornelia and Euphemia were present. The green-haired immortal would only complicate matters. Harry and Kallen, however, intended to be present. The two imperial sisters were accompanied by Gottwald and Nu.

Meeting Cornelia without the benefit of a mask was a little nerve-wracking, especially when the princess asked who they were. "Ah, my apologies. Kallen Stadtfeld is a new addition to the Student Council, due to her illnesses preventing her from joining a more physically active club. Harry Potter here is a young man whose parents were murdered by a terrorist back home, and he got in here on a scholarship after fleeing his relatives. He acts as Kallen's assistant. Kallen, Harry, I am told you already met my half-sister Euphemia. This is her older sister, Cornelia li Britannia, current Viceroy of Area 11."

Cornelia's smile was surprisingly warm as she greeted Harry and Kallen. "Yes, Euphie has already spoken to me of your kindness when she met you two, along with Warrant Officer Suzaku Kururugi. If Lelouch has seen fit to let you into his confidence, he must trust you both quite strongly."

"I would trust them both with Nunnally's safety, Cornelia," Lelouch said pointedly. "That is how much I trust them."

After pleasantries were exchanged, with Harry and Kallen not quite feeling them, they made small talk as Sayoko served tea and coffee for the visitors. Cornelia and Euphie were delighted that Nunnally could see again. And then, Nunnally broached the million pound question. "Cornelia…are you going to take us back to Britannia?"

"…No. God no," Cornelia said, shaking her head. She then looked at Kallen and Harry. "Are you aware of the events that led to my brother and sister being sent to Japan?"

"More than aware," Kallen said. "Lady Marianne was murdered, Nunnally was crippled, and when Lelouch demanded justice from the Emperor, he viewed that with contempt. He then sent Lelouch and Nunnally here to act as political hostages."

Cornelia nodded. "Indeed. I would love nothing more than to bring these two back to Pendragon, but for the fact that they would be used as pawns once more. So for now, I intend to keep their survival secret. Whoever targeted Lady Marianne could easily target her children, especially if they're a member of the court rather than terrorists. I despise court politics. I consider myself a soldier, first and foremost."

"As do I, Princess Cornelia," Gottwald said. "Lady Marianne's death was a personal failure of mine."

"You are not to blame, Margrave. Lelouch, there are few who know this, but…" She then looked at Harry and Kallen.

"They both have my complete confidence, Cornelia," Lelouch said. "I would be happy to have one of them as my personal Knight if I was still royalty."

"Very well. Lady Marianne told me to withdraw the security herself," Cornelia said. "I don't know why, but…"

As Nunnally gasped, Lelouch scowled. "And you did that?"

"Lady Marianne ordered it!" Cornelia reiterated. "And who am I to disobey her? Someone close to her, someone she trusted, may have been the assassin, or else the puppetmaster behind them! That's why I am here. I've decided, in light of the increased terrorist activity, to keep an eye on you. I've managed to vet Dame Villetta Nu, with Margrave Gottwald vouching for her. She will act as Ashford Academy's new Physical Education teacher, starting soon."

"Can you trust her?" Lelouch asked.

"As much as I can any Purist after that whole 'Orange' mess with Kewell. I've no doubt you saw Zero and Warlock's little bit of grandstanding," Cornelia said. "In any case, rest assured, Lelouch, I intend to keep your survival secret. I intend to track down who murdered Lady Marianne, though I'd have to do it under the radar, given that our father stymied my previous investigation. As if I didn't have enough to deal with with Zero and Warlock and their little band running around."

Euphemia then saw fit to interject. "Still…it's good to see you two again."

"Likewise, Euphie," Lelouch said, a sad smile touching his lips. "I have to admit, I was frightened for you when I saw that footage of what happened at Lake Kawaguchi. I recognised you amongst the hostages, though I recognised my classmates as well. I have to admit to being grateful to the Phoenix Knights for saving them, even if they were insurgents. But we're not here to talk about them."

"No, we're not," Cornelia said, a little icily. "Incidentally, I would like you and your friends to keep an eye out. Zero and Warlock, I believe, could potentially be Britannian, even if they're leading an Eleven terrorist group…"

* * *

The conversation turned once more to small talk, with Euphie discussing an upcoming art competition she was going to judge, and Cornelia and Kallen getting into a spirited debate about Knightmare customisations. Soon, they had to finish up, and attend classes.

Harry, though, was still feeling down after what happened with Mao yesterday. So, he wandered up to the roof at lunch, and stood there, at the railing, watching the bustle of the Ashford Academy. He'd asked Kallen and Lelouch to leave him alone for now…but company had a bad habit of finding him anyway.

He didn't realise that someone had come onto the roof, until he saw slender, dark-skinned hands place themselves on the railing next to him. "Deep thoughts?"

Harry briefly glanced at Villetta Nu, before looking at the grounds of the academy. "I'm not going to jump, you know."

"I didn't think you would."

Harry set up a Privacy Charm, before he turned to look at Nu. "And why is that? I thought you'd be delighted at Warlock committing suicide."

Nu scoffed. "You don't know me, Potter, any more than I know you. You think of me as a xenophobe willing to trample on Numbers to gain advancement, and I could just say that you're a terrorist with a thin veneer of righteousness and too much power, given your abilities."

"I never targeted the innocent knowingly, unlike you," Harry said. "The only difference between you and a terrorist was that you were allowed to do it by Clovis."

"And? I felt Jeremiah's anger towards the Elevens for murdering Lelouch and Nunnally. To tell the truth, Lady Marianne was someone I admired, a commoner who rose to become one of the Knights of the Round. Terrorists robbed the world of Lady Marianne, and until recently, Jeremiah and I thought that the Elevens robbed us of the vi Britannia siblings."

"A terrorist murdered my parents. Doesn't mean I went after every wizard and witch," Harry snarked.

"Let's not talk about that. I didn't come here to get into an argument with you. In fact, to tell the truth, after what Lelouch said…I have to admit, I feel sympathy for you," Nu said. "We heard about what happened with that Geass user, Mao. How you killed him to protect CC."

"I don't want your sympathy."

"You're getting it anyway. Lelouch told me it wasn't the first death you caused…but it affected you deeply."

"Of course it affected me deeply, I _dismembered_ him!" Harry snapped angrily. "And too easily. It felt easier than using a gun or a knife, stupid though that sounds. And the worse thing was…despite all the crap he was going to put CC through…he lingered long enough for me to feel sorry for him."

Strangely, Villetta Nu chuckled softly. It wasn't disparaging, if anything, it was rueful. "I don't believe this…Warlock, the fearsome terrorist and would-be revolutionary…actually felt sympathy for the man he killed. No, no, I'm not mocking you, Harry. If anything…I think I understand you a little more. You were forced to grow up before your time. A child soldier, but one who is only beginning to experience the true horrors of war. And yet, the times you did kill, it was to protect those you cared about. But because of what you did in anger…it's catching up to you."

"Shouldn't we need a couch for this?" Harry snarked.

"Harry, it's no laughing matter. I can kill easily…but I've had training as a soldier, not to mention experience. You, the Stadtfeld girl, Lelouch…you're children, filled with idealism and fire, but not quite realising what you're getting into. Even with magic, even with Geass…you're fighting against an empire…no, you're fighting three, if you take the EU and the Chinese Federation into account. And all for what? Japan? A country that doesn't even have a name anymore? If you do manage to take back Area 11, make it Japan again…what then?"

"Try to protect it," Harry said. "If it means having Lelouch supplant the Emperor, then so be it."

Nu laughed quietly. "You make it sound so simple, when it isn't. Actually, I used to be like you somewhat once, filled with idealism."

"What happened?"

"I grew up," Nu said. "My father died of a disease that could have been treated, but we were bankrupted by a noble who ran the hospital. He ordered the wrong treatment to be used deliberately, because my father was, in his words, a _mongrel_ , though he didn't say that until after he had scammed us out of our money, and was gloating. My mother killed that noble who had killed my father and my innocence…and was shot by the police for her troubles. If it weren't for Jeremiah taking me under his wing, I don't know what I would have done."

"So what you're doing is projection," Harry said. "You can't get revenge on the nobles, so you're taking it out on Numbers."

"Excuse me, who's on the psychologist's couch?" Nu retorted. Then, after a moment, she said, "Maybe you're right. I'm trying so hard to be a good little Purist, I've become like that bastard who robbed me of my parents."

"Then, what will you do about it?" Harry asked. "My beef isn't with the Britannians in general, not those who try to have normal lives, but those who make Numbers' lives a misery, with the Emperor spurring them on. Not to mention whoever murdered Marianne."

"Then why ally yourself with Cornelia? Why go along with Lelouch's plan?"

"…Because I think that, if she realised how truly bad Britannia has become, she might defect. Well, that's Lelouch's theory, and I've deferred to him about his knowledge of his family. I'll let him take the lead when it comes to strategy and tactics, as well as knowledge about his family. But when it comes to keeping civilians safe, if he does something stupid, then Kallen and I will hold him back."

Nu's chuckle was more mirthful this time. "…Acting as the moral compass to a ruthless exiled prince? He must hold you in high enough regard. Anyway…I think I understand you a lot better. So, let me give you some advice. It gets easier and easier to kill, especially if you think of your enemy as subhuman. I speak from experience. And one of the hardest bits is thinking of your enemy as human again." Then, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Lelouch is lucky to have you as a friend…but I daresay Stadtfeld is even luckier still. Don't let go of her. A girl of such fire and conviction is a rare treasure…"

* * *

The rather fraught day came to a close. Harry felt a little relieved of what had happened yesterday, even if it was the likes of Villetta Nu helping him, instead of Kallen or Lelouch or Hermione. But that evening, in Lelouch's rooms, Lelouch scowled as he read a few messages. "We have a problem," he said. "It seems that the JLF is undergoing a major schism, split between those who want to stay in Japan, and those who have decided to join Atsushi Sawasaki's government-in-exile in the Chinese Federation."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"The former cabinet secretary, and the highest ranked survivor of Genbu Kururugi's government," CC explained. "Not to mention the Chinese's little puppet. So, who's staying and who's going?"

"Katase and his loyalists are going to China. They've had enough of 'Tohdoh's impotence' or 'Tohdoh's cowardice', in their words," Lelouch said with a scowl. "They also believe that I could have spared Kusakabe at Lake Kawaguchi, or helped more at Narita, so they rejected my overtures. Only Tohdoh, the Four Holy Swords, and a few others are staying behind, calling Katase and his followers traitors. What's more, Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords have agreed to meet with a representative of the Phoenix Knights, though Tohdoh has express reluctance to join us outright. Harry, during that night Tohdoh has agreed to meet us, Katase and his followers intend to take a tanker full of liquid Sakuradite to China from Port Yokosuka. Had I not spoken with Cornelia at Narita, I would have used that as an opportunity to try and capture her. If I had an opportunity, I would capture the Sakuradite myself, given how valuable it is, but unfortunately, we don't have the time. Instead, I'm going to deny it to Katase's faction and the Britannians. If Katase and his people make it to China, it could be problematic later on."

"You're going to kill them?" Kallen asked, frowning.

"Sadly, yes. Or at least allow the Britannians to capture them, but to deny them the Sakuradite in that case would be tricky," Lelouch said. "And Kallen…remember, the Chinese funnelled Refrain into Japan. They intend to be your conquerors rather than the liberators they claim to be. You'd just be exchanging Britannia for the Chinese Federation. And yet, Katase flees to them, instead of staying here to continue fighting Britannia, whether or not it is under our aegis. I personally don't care about whether any resistance group refuses to join us, as long as they don't descend into mere terrorism. You and Harry said that we will act as a sword of Masamune, of justice, not bloodshed. But any who go to another power like this…well, they clearly only care about getting Britannia out, not about who is in charge afterwards."

"…And if you do have to take the throne?" Kallen asked softly. "How can we persuade Japan that having you as our ruler is better than your father?"

"I'm still considering that. Dismantling an empire will take time…but I promise you, one day, Japan will regain its name and dignity. Anyway, we have more immediate concerns. Kallen, if you feel uncomfortable about this, then you may accompany Harry to meet with Tohdoh. I shouldn't need the Guren, or indeed any Knightmare Frames, save to make a quick getaway."

Kallen and Harry looked at each other, before Kallen said, "If you are sure…but while I don't like the fact that Katase is running to the Chinese, I don't like this either. Run it by Ohgi. You may be the de facto leader of the Phoenix Knights now, but Ohgi led our group before you came along Lelouch. Explain your reasons, do not lie to him, even if you have to lie to everyone else. I'll go with Harry to speak to Tohdoh."

Lelouch nodded. "And Kallen? This is not a decision I've taken lightly. None of my decisions are. Remember that…"

 **CHAPTER 20 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Oh, what a tangled web we weave. Next chapter, Harry and Kallen meet Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords. Which may be a while coming out. Just saying. I know I've said that quite a bit, but just fair warning, just in case.**

 **Incidentally, the thing about Katase taking the Sakuradite to China came from another fanfic (I can't remember which one it was, off the top of my head: I first thought it was** ** _Code Geass: The Prepared Rebellion_** **by SeerKing, but Katase used a self-destruct sequence at Narita in that fic), but given that he had a base in a tanker, with a cargo chock a block full of Sakuradite, it's not an unreasonable inference to assume. Plus, butterflies could have happened in this fic.**

 ** **Villetta's past is something I made up for this chapter, but I wanted to give her some humanity. We don't know enough about her past from canon, and why she's so desperate for advancement to go into the Purists. Given her later ability to feel love for Ohgi, it can't all be ambition. So, I decided to write this in. Villetta is hated by a number of vocal fans (TheGirlWithTooManyIdeas goes into one hell of a diatribe on her profile about Villetta and Ohgi's relationship), so I decided to give Villetta a plausible past that would explain her ambition…as well as have her reflect on her disdain towards Numbers, giving her a catalyst to become better by thinking about her hypocrisy. Plus, having her counsel Harry on his reaction to Mao's death was oddly appealing.****

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	22. Chapter 21: Sins of the Past

**CHAPTER 21:**

 **SINS OF THE PAST**

The requested location was such a cliché. Kallen and Harry, the former in her Phoenix Knight uniform (complete with visored cap), the latter dressed up as Warlock, were heading to the grave of Genbu Kururugi. Which was why they were being extra careful. Doubtlessly, Tohdoh and the others were being careful too, but Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords were second only to the Phoenix Knights on the most wanted list, especially after Narita. Harry, as an extra precaution, had a second Portkey, keyed to Clovisland, in the form of a rope, just in case they needed to make a quick exit before Tohdoh agreed to join the Phoenix Knights.

They found Tohdoh, accompanied by a quartet of figures, standing around a grave marker. "…Have a bad feeling about this," the tall, thin and rather sardonic figure of Kosetsu Urabe remarked. "I feel too exposed here."

"It's only paranoia if they're not out to get you," rumbled the hulking figure of Ryoga Senba.

" _You'd get along well with an old teacher of mine_ ," Harry said, his voice distorted by the vocoder in his mask, even as he erected Privacy Charms as a precaution. Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords whirled to face them. " _Greetings. I am Warlock, and this is Tsunade. Zero is involved in another operation at the moment._ "

Tohdoh, a thin man in his thirties with intense features, scrutinised Harry and Kallen. "And how do we know you're who you say you are?" He quoted a _haiku_ by Matsuo Basho(1). " _Another year is gone, a traveller's shade on my head, straw sandals at my feet._ "

Harry winced, reminded that he needed to give a password. Thankfully, Kallen recited another _haiku_ by Basho, " _An ancient pond, a frog jumps in, the splash of water._ "

Tohdoh nodded. "I see. So you two are definitely Zero's chosen emissaries. And you're the infamous Warlock."

" _And you're Lieutenant Colonel Kyoshiro Tohdoh, along with the Four Holy Swords: Nagisa Chiba, Shougo Asahina, Kosetsu Urabe, and Ryoga Senba. A pleasure to meet the most competent members of the JLF._ "

A couple of sets of eyes narrowed, but Tohdoh eventually said, "Many in the JLF disagree. Then again, they expected me to pull another miracle like Itsukushima, as if it were a rabbit out of a hat. You seemed to be the true miracle worker before Zero came along, even if it was humbling the Britannians as opposed to defeating them outright."

Harry noted the slight barb. Eventually, Kallen said, "We've heard that you have split with General Katase."

Nagisa Chiba, a young woman with boyishly short hair and intense but beautiful features, scowled. "He's selling out to the Chinese Federation. Our loyalty is to the Japanese people, not the Chinese."

"But we're still not certain as to whether to join the Phoenix Knights," Tohdoh added.

" _Zero understands_ ," Harry said. " _As long as you do not act against us, we will be in accord, even if you don't join us. But he asked me to tell you something. Japan's resistance is stronger than in any other Area due to the fact that Japan surrendered before exhausting its military potential. However, despite this, you failed to continue what began at Itsukushima. People clung to the hope that you would pull another miracle from the heavens, so desperate they would cling to illusions or use Refrain. But…he believes that you should fight to the bitter end, not in the way that Kusakabe thought he was doing, or Katase did. Zero says that you should fight until the end, until the name Tohdoh the Miracle Worker becomes tattered and ragged._ "

"And who are you two to Zero?" Shougo Asahina, a handsome, glasses-wearing young man asked. "His mouthpieces? His puppets?"

"We are his _conscience_ ," Kallen said. "We are instruments of his will, but we also ensure that he can look back on his path with as few regrets as possible. It will be a bloodsoaked path…but if it's soaked with the blood of his enemies rather than allies or innocents, then he can take solace in that."

" _More than that, we are his allies more than we are his subordinates. What's more, he has a personal respect for you, your inaction since Itsukushima aside_ ," Harry said.

Tohdoh frowned, before he said, "Can you contact Zero?"

Harry and Kallen looked at each other, before checking their watches. Harry nodded, and took out his phone. " _You don't have long_ ," Harry said, dialling the number.

Lelouch picked up, his voice distorted by his own vocoder. " _Yes, Warlock?_ "

" _Tohdoh wishes to speak to you._ "

" _Put him on then._ "

Harry handed the phone to Tohdoh, who listened, before nodding. He spoke for a time, before handing the phone back to Harry. " _Warlock, I think you'd better get out of there. Our friend Orange has just notified me that there was an operation mooted to snatch Tohdoh. I was just about to ring you when you did. Use the Portkey to head to Clovisland. From there, allow Tohdoh, and only Tohdoh, to see your faces…and you will tell him who I am, and what my power is. But only Tohdoh._ "

" _Are you sure, Zero?_ "

" _Yes. We'll talk later. Zero out._ "

Harry sighed, putting the phone away, before pulling out a rope. " _Now, you'll find it hard to believe, but this is a means of magical transport. We have Britannians coming soon. Hold on._ "

It took some time for the quintet to follow Harry and Kallen's lead, and take hold of the rope. And just in time, too. Harry could see Britannian soldiers in the shadows outside the range of the Privacy Charm. So, he muttered the codephrase…

* * *

…And they were stumbling out of the air in the middle of Clovisland. Shougo swayed on his feet, before slurring, "Lieutenant Colonel…can I shoot WarlOOORFFF!" He emptied his stomach onto the ground.

"Permission denied, Asahina," Tohdoh said, grimacing. "What was that?"

" _Portkey. I'm not called Warlock just because I seem magic. I AM magic._ "

"Be thankful he refined it," Kallen said, her own stomach doing flip-flops. "He turned a stray cat into wall art at our hideout once."

Tohdoh nodded. He then said, "Zero told me that you would show me your faces…and divulge his identity in private."

"Sir, you can't!" Nagisa snapped. "If this is a trap…"

"Then they have us right where they want us already," Tohdoh said calmly.

* * *

Tohdoh had questioned them after they removed their masks a little way away from the Four Holy Swords, and was a little surprised to learn that Zero was Lelouch. When he heard about Geass, he asked about details, before finally nodding. He didn't believe it when Harry flippantly said he was a wizarding messiah from a parallel world, but seemed to accept reluctantly their bona fides, especially with Kirihara funding them.

Eventually, Tohdoh said, "I have made my decision. I will come with you to Lelouch, and bring the Four Holy Swords with me. But I will make something perfectly clear. I will repay treachery in kind. Katase will pay for fleeing to China, so Lelouch claims, but if he betrays us, or you do, then it will mean your demise."

"…Okay, I know you're serious about that," Harry said flatly, "but I've heard a lot of death threats in my time. That's not very creative."

"I don't need to be creative when I am being serious," Tohdoh said.

* * *

A few hours afterwards, they were in the HQ of the Phoenix Knights…with Tohdoh speaking to Lelouch, CC, Kallen, Harry and Ohgi looking on. "In hindsight, I shouldn't be surprised that you are Zero. I remembered the fire and hatred in your eyes, even before the invasion."

"Indeed. Master Tohdoh, thank you for joining us."

"Still calling me Master," Tohdoh said, a sardonic smirk touching his usually humourless face briefly. "As I recall, you tended to skip out on my lessons. Suzaku was considerably more diligent in learning from me."

"Yes, Suzaku…Tohdoh, he's piloting the Lancelot Knightmare Frame that Lloyd Asplund developed. In addition, he seems ridiculously dedicated to being an Honorary Britannian," Lelouch said. "But when we met, he was so much a patriot for Japan, it wasn't funny. We even think he's got suicidal tendencies. Do you know of any reason why?"

Tohdoh grimaced. Clearly this wasn't something he had planned on being asked. Eventually, he came to a decision. "What I am about to tell you does not pass beyond these walls. None of you should divulge it, especially not her." He indicated CC, who was hugging a Cheese-kun plushy.

"I'm good at keeping secrets," CC retorted.

Tohdoh scoffed, before he returned to Lelouch, his usual stern features softening. "…Genbu Kururugi did not commit suicide. Instead, he was murdered."

"Murdered?!" Ohgi demanded, leaning forward. "Who…no…no, it couldn't be…"

"You've cottoned on quickly," Tohdoh said. "Suzaku committed patricide."

Breaking the shocked silence that followed, Lelouch said, his violet eyes narrowing, "Explain."

"The Prime Minister ordered a 'do or die' resistance. Every man, woman and child of Japan was to fight the Britannians, sacrifice their lives if need be," Tohdoh said. "He believed that it would be better than being enslaved to the Britannians. But…Suzaku disagreed. He wanted the bloodshed to end. He didn't want people to die because his father ordered them to. They got into an argument, which devolved into a fight…and then Suzaku killed Genbu."

Harry's eyes widened in shock. "Oh God…so, he's feeling guilty over patricide, over effectively delivering Japan to the Britannians?"

"Yes. Kirihara and I covered it up. Suzaku was, understandably, upset. Immensely so. I imagine that he became an Honorary Britannian as a form of atonement. If he has, as you believe, suicidal ideation, then it may be because of his guilt from the murder of his father."

Lelouch, after a moment, put his head in his hands. "Suzaku…" he murmured. "Damn. All this time, and…maybe I should have sought him out sooner. Maybe I could have rescued him from his guilt and…damn. **_Damn!_** " He slammed his fist into the table.

"Lelouch," Tohdoh said, quietly, but firmly, his voice carrying. "Suzaku made his choices. As have I. Though if you knew he was the pilot of the Lancelot, why haven't you put paid to him?"

"A few reasons," Lelouch said. "I will admit, my prior friendship is a factor. I am also hoping that I can sway him to our side, along with Euphemia and Cornelia. We've begun the process with those two, sowing discord, trying to encourage their discontent with the Emperor. It's a dangerous game, but…"

"Fortune favours the bold. And killing Cornelia may bring an undesirable replacement," Tohdoh said, understanding the reasons why fairly quickly.

"We're in accord in that much," Lelouch said. "But back to Suzaku. If we kill him in battle, then it's regretful, but it will be necessary. But assassinating him is another matter. What would that achieve?"

"Aside from depriving the Lancelot of its best pilot?" Kallen asked.

"No, if need be, Lloyd Asplund could potentially get one of the Knights of the Round, even if that would be with difficulty," Lelouch said. "Suzaku may not be _easily_ replaceable, but he's still replaceable. And finally…if it comes to it, I can use my Geass on him. In any case, given Cornelia's reluctance to use Numbers in battle, Suzaku is less of a threat than some people would think."

"Lelouch, getting Suzaku to see reality is going to be difficult if not nigh-impossible," Ohgi protested quietly. "He believes his own lies too much, that capitulating to Britannia will work out. Or maybe he espouses them precisely because he hopes for someone to kill him. If you can't bring yourself to kill him, then at the very least use the Geass on him, make him our sleeper agent. I can understand you not wanting to kill him, given that he's an old friend…but you're leading us now, and you need to make tough choices. I couldn't do it as well as I would have liked to, and even Naoto found it hard. But if we are going to liberate Japan, we need to do something, and you know Suzaku will fight us every step of the way. You already killed Katase. To hold back from either killing Suzaku or using the Geass on him is hypocrisy."

Lelouch looked up sharply and angrily, before he sagged. "Yes…you're right. But anyone who makes substantial changes to the world will inevitably become a hypocrite."

"One of the truest things I have ever heard come from your mouth, boy," CC said, looking rather pensive even as she spoke. "Your father certainly is like that. Remember what you said before I killed Clovis: _one cannot change the world without getting your hands dirty_. The trick is ensuring there is as little dirt as possible. We've been lucky so far. In Saitama, you managed to rescue many of the civilians, and in Narita, the wizards helped prevent civilian deaths. But our luck and care won't last forever."

"Enough of that for now," Tohdoh said. "I gave Lelouch implicit permission to deal with Katase. Katase had become overly reliant on me and my miracles, even though I only really performed one. Lelouch, don't expect me to pull a miracle on a par with Itsukushima. Frankly, I thrive on the battlefield, not directing one."

"That's fine, Tohdoh. I need skilled and seasoned commanders to make up for my own shortcomings. And to call me out if I do anything egregiously stupid."

Tohdoh scoffed, though a slight smile touched his features. "When I gave you advice back when you lived with the Kururugis, you rarely heeded it. I'll hold you to that. So, what next?"

"I'm still deciding," Lelouch said. "With Mao out of the way, one of our worst threats is gone. In addition, we've prevented you from being captured by the Britannians, and we've dealt with Refrain for the most part. The problem is, Harry here has some wizards coming after him, so we need to be vigilant. They won't care about exposing our identities to the Britannians, especially if it suited their ends. For now, until something comes along, I intend to keep working on suborning my sisters and Suzaku, while getting the Phoenix Knights ready. I also think some hearts and minds work is in order."

"Propaganda?" Ohgi asked.

"Supporting the people of the ghettos, as well as the Britannians who are at the lower ends of the social hierarchy would help with our image. So propaganda is part of it. But the Phoenix Knights are knights for justice. We'd best show that…"

 **CHAPTER 21 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, there you have it. Tohdoh's been rescued, and had revealed Suzaku's secret. But what next? Well, I'm not sure, really. Given that Tohdoh's been rescued and Mao's already been dealt with, that's pretty much a gap of about four or five episodes until the next big event, and I'll need to fill that somehow. Unfortunately, it's too soon to have Dumbledore and company arrive, unless I can figure out a way to have Harry and company evade them. So that means that the next chapter will be quite some time coming.**

 **Review-answering time! I'm grateful to you guys for enjoying how I portrayed Villetta in the prior chapter. She's one of those characters who didn't really get much, beyond losing her memory and hooking up with Ohgi while her memory was fucked up. Many people hate her for the role she played in the Black Knights' betrayal in R2, and while I haven't watched that far yet, I wanted to give her some depth of character that wasn't there, giving her a plausible backstory that would explain some of it.**

 **1\. Basho is perhaps the most famous haiku writer of Japan, mentioned even in the James Bond novel** ** _You Only Live Twice_** **.**


	23. Chapter 22: Lessons

**CHAPTER 22:**

 **LESSONS**

"The funny thing is," Villetta said quietly to Harry, Kallen and Lelouch on the roof of the school, Privacy Charms set up, "I actually _like_ being a teacher. I didn't think I would, and to be fair, there's a lot of overprivileged brats here. But…well, if the military doesn't work out, putting kids through their paces might be a new career."

Lelouch glared at Villetta, remembering the paces she put him through as his physical education teacher. Kallen snickered to herself quietly, taking some delight in knowing that, even before he ended up in this world, Harry was surprisingly fit. While he didn't have much in the way of physical strength, he was a good sprinter, though he chalked it up to being chased by his cousin and said cousin's gang of thugs. Lelouch could sprint for a bit, but by comparison to Harry, the scrawny exiled prince was very unfit. "You are a sadist. No wonder you fit in with the Purists."

"Mind your words, Lelouch," Villetta said with a smirk. "As one of the leaders of a rebellion against your father, your physical fitness is important now more than ever. After all, you need to get out of sticky situations as well as get into them, and sometimes, a fast pair of legs is better than a quick mind or a silver tongue."

"All of my _hate_ ," Lelouch growled.

"She has a point," Harry said. "I once heard that, while running away may not give you eternal life, it can certainly give you _more_ life(1)." He then looked at the dark-skinned Britannian soldier. "Still, there are worse career paths than being a teacher. Hell, you're way better than three of my teachers off the top of my head. Then again, they set the bar pretty low."

"Oh?" Villetta asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kallen sighed. "I think I can guess them. Professor Binns, a really boring History teacher who ended up a ghost. I think he bored himself to death. Professor Trelawney, a drunk who teaches Divination, and is mostly a fraud, save for maybe two prophecies, both of which have royally screwed Harry over. Oh, and there's Snape."

"Snape?" Villetta asked.

"That is 'Professor' Severus Snape," Harry scowled. "About the nicest thing you can say about him is that he's brilliant at potions, combat spells, and what is basically magical mind-reading, Legilimency. But he's a shit human being and only marginally better teacher. Imagine Alan Rickman having fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down…oh, wait, you don't have Alan Rickman in this world, as far as I know. He's a greasy-haired, big-nosed, racist sociopath who wanted to fuck my mother, despised my father, and hated me for being their child. He'd sneer at you three for being mere Muggles, people without magic, just like Britannians sneer at Numbers. People like my friend Hermione would be Honorary Britannians in his eyes at best."

"That bad?" Villetta asked.

Kallen rolled her eyes. "During his first class, he asked Harry a series of questions about potions ingredients and antidotes that weren't first year material. Well, I guess knowing what a magical bezoar was basic, but knowing that aconite was monkshood and wolfsbane? Knowing the base ingredients of the Draught of Living Death? Harry looked up that stuff later, apparently, with Hermione, during their fourth year. The aconite thing was third year, and the Draught of Living Death fifth year."

"So he was deliberately trying to have Harry fail?" Villetta scoffed.

"He just wanted to make an example of me." Harry then gave a rather passable mockery of Snape's nasal tones. " _Mr Potter…our newest_ _ **celebrity**_." He imbued the last word with the same tone one usually reserved for dog turds.

"…The sad thing was, I had a teacher just like that, back in elementary school," Kallen said.

"As did I, but in high school," Villetta agreed, surprisingly.

"While I had a few tutors who weren't fond of my mother, they were at least competent enough to be civil," Lelouch said, before turning to Harry. "Snape…CC mentioned him as being that man Hermione had issues with, along with Dumbledore, and one of those we should keep an eye out for."

"Yep," Harry said with a sigh. "The problem is, most wizards don't have enough sense to make themselves inconspicuous amongst Muggles. So either Dumbledore and whoever he's got with him are doing better at remaining hidden, or else they're still looking for me somewhere else in this world. Of course, they could be in Britannian custody."

"We haven't heard anything," Villetta said. "Beyond rumours, anyway. And that worries me, probably almost as much as it does you. That being said, there was apparently a major fracas a few weeks back at an R&D facility in Pendragon. And you hear rumours about that place. Apparently it was where Aspirius was working until he came over here. All hush-hush, and there's rumours of links to…something."

"What kind of something?" Harry asked.

Villetta shook her head. "I don't know, and neither does Lord Jeremiah. But…we think there's a link to the facility CC was taken from. After that mess at Shinjuku, we managed to find few records there, and there were a few handwritten comms notes linking back to that facility. So if it's to do with CC, then…"

"Geass must be involved," Kallen concluded grimly.

"It seems likely," Lelouch mused. "CC hinted that any substantial digging into VV and his conspiracy would draw their attention, so Jeremiah had better be discreet. That being said, I think we had best get more information from CC about this conspiracy…"

* * *

A little later, the Student Council were gathered, including Suzaku. However, Suzaku had gone off on one of his self-righteous rants about the Phoenix Knights and how they were supposed to leave any supposed just activities to the authorities once more, and finally, Harry had had enough. He grabbed Suzaku's arm and pulled him out of the room, and getting into an empty one, a small library, whereupon he shoved the Japanese onto a chair. "Sit down, shut up, and listen to me. Now, for Lelouch's sake, not to mention Nunnally's sake, I've tried to put up with your whining and delusions. But I've had enough now. You keep on going on and on about how the Phoenix Knights should work within the system. Are you really that blind, or stupid?"

"Shut up! You wouldn't understand!" Suzaku snapped back.

"…Oh, wouldn't I?" Harry snarled, leaning in close. "My parents were murdered by a terrorist when I was one year old. This terrorist was not fighting for the freedom of his country or people, though, not like the JLF or the Phoenix Knights. He was a racist, like the Britannians are towards those they conquer. He thought that people of impure blood, or those who defended them, had to die. I survived because his weapon backfired when he tried to murder me. I was sent to live with relatives by a meddling old man who is very like you, Suzaku, a hypocrite who wants us to forgive enemies who are trying to kill us." Suzaku nearly shoved Harry away, but one look from his emerald eyes stopped him. "And do you know what my relatives did to me, Suzaku? My father was minor nobility where I come from, but they treated me like a live-in servant. My bedroom was a cupboard underneath the stairs."

"I've heard all this before," Suzaku retorted.

"…You think I'm lying," Harry said in a dangerous tone. "I'm not. I'm sure if you took an X-ray of my skull, you'd see a dent from the time my aunt whacked me over the head with a frying pan too hard. And if you think that nobody can possibly act that way, then you're even more delusional than I thought! You and Dumbledore would make a great pair, I'm sure."

"Dumbledore?"

"The old man I was talking of, the headmaster of a very elite and secretive school, and very influential in certain circles. Not to mention that the government was corrupt. When the terrorist who'd tried to kill me came out of hiding, I tried to warn them, and yet, they called me delusional. Not only that, but they sent a teacher who was deliberately sabotaging our self-defence classes. She thought the best textbook was one that basically boiled down to 'run away and tell a member of authority'. Never mind that she was meant to be teaching the next generation of police officers, and all she was teaching them was 'run away and find someone competent'. And the terrorist had people high up in the government in their pockets. Even before the terrorist came back, people of impure blood would be lucky to get a clerical job in the government, with only those of breeding able to go far. So, tell me, how would you be able to change such a corrupt system from the inside? And don't say ' _I will do it, somehow_ '. Just tell me…have you got a plan?"

"Of course I have a plan!" Suzaku protested.

"…Okay then. What is it?" When Suzaku was silent, Harry sneered in what would have been a fair imitation of Snape. "I thought so. _Nothing_."

"…And what would you know of being a soldier, Harry?" Suzaku retorted. "Have you ever killed a man?"

"Yes. When I was nearly twelve, the terrorist who attacked me tried again, suborning a teacher at my school. I killed the teacher in self-defence. And what about you? Do you know what it's like to take a life at such a young age? Of course you don't! You know _nothing!_ " Harry sneered again, knowing full well that Suzaku had killed his father at an even younger age.

But maybe this could be his in. Trying to get Suzaku to open his eyes. Get him to think.

Suzaku reacted rather violently, though, shoving Harry away, and bearing him to the floor, punching him in the face. "You're the one who knows nothing! I ki…" His eyes widened when he realised what he was about to say, and Harry knew he had pushed Suzaku too far. Yes, Harry had been angry, and justifiably so, but maybe he had pushed him too far.

But he was still angry, and feeling more than a little self-righteous, and he kicked Suzaku off, sending him sprawling into a wall. Through a bruised jaw, he said, "Well, I'm sure you'll get a promotion soon. You passed the test of Britannian soldiers attacking civilians. No doubt you'll get used to killing them. At least Cornelia knows what she does is dirty work. I've met her, and for all that I hate the corruption in the system and the soldiers attacking civilians, she at least has conviction."

"…You know nothing," Suzaku said.

"I know more than you think, Suzaku. I know enough to know that, when corruption like that has set in…you can't change it from within unless you're in a position of power. Even Euphemia can only do so much." Abruptly, his anger fell from him, and in its place came tiredness, and an idea. "If you want to make a difference, then why not ask Euphemia? What she can do is limited…but it's better than the course you're going on. I mean, you guys are friends, aren't you?"

Suzaku nodded. "…Are you saying I should try to suggest ideas to the princess?"

"Suzaku…just trying to change the system from within like you think you can won't work. You're lucky Euphie seemed to take a shine to you. I mean, it's how you got here, right? And through her, you may be able to influence Cornelia. She may not like Numbers, but she listens to Euphie. What's more, they're aware Lelouch and Nunnally are here, and aren't going to tell his father. I don't like Cornelia's attitude towards Numbers…but I respect her ability as a general and her pragmatism. And Euphie…well, you can see why she's his favourite sister after Nunnally."

Suzaku frowned, considering this, before he went for the door. But as he put his hand on the handle, he hesitated, before looking at Harry. "…Harry. If killing a person saved thousands…no, millions of lives, even if it brought them misery, including yourself…would you do it?"

"…In all likelihood, yes," Harry said, knowing full well what Suzaku was alluding to. "I wouldn't like doing it unless he or she was truly despicable, and I might regret it…but where there's life…there's hope. And before you ask…I wouldn't regret killing the man who murdred my parents, or any of his underlings. Not because of revenge, but because they are unrepentant murderers, mere terrorists who delight in torture. They're like the worst of the terrorist groups here in Japan. I'd kill them, to make sure they wouldn't kill anyone ever again. It may be against the law…but they never cared about it themselves. Should I let the authorities come to save me? Or should I be able to stop them if I can?"

Suzaku, after a moment, nodded in thought and acknowledgement, before leaving the room without another word…

* * *

Kallen, of course, wanted nothing more than to go off and beat the crap out of Suzaku, her disguise of being a sickly student be damned. It took everything Lelouch and Harry could muster to calm her down. They were in Lelouch's bedroom once more, CC cuddling a Cheese-kun plushy. "Well, if we're lucky, you have instilled some sense into Suzaku," Lelouch said. "But there's no guarantee."

"Sooner or later, we're going to have to kill him or else find a way to get him to join us," Kallen said. "We can't keep dancing around the issue, especially as he seems to be the only person who can pilot the Lancelot."

"One of the Knights of the Round could potentially do that," CC pointed out. "Suzaku has the capacity. But Kallen is right, Lelouch. Like it or not, Suzaku is your enemy, and if we can't bring him around to our way of thinking, then we have to kill him or use your Geass on him."

"You say it like it is easy," Lelouch growled.

"I know you would have shot Clovis with ease, had you not let me do so," CC retorted calmly. "And yet you find it so hard for Suzaku? Whatever happened to the cold-hearted chess master?"

As Lelouch glared at CC, Harry interrupted his response. "CC, do you think it would be easy to do so?"

"It's depressingly easy to kill someone, well, save where Code Bearers like myself are concerned," CC said. "And Lelouch is fighting a war, a war where Suzaku is one of the enemy's greatest assets. That being said, if you want to try and persuade him to shake off his ideology, then I have a possible idea. Euphemia."

"Euphemia?" Lelouch asked, before his eyes focused in thought. "I see…Euphie may be fairly naïve in some ways, and she is an idealist, but she also understands both politics and the reality of the world, even if she is somewhat blind to the corruption in some parts of Britannia. So, while Suzaku might be able to influence Euphie when it comes to dealing with the Japanese…"

"She might be able to influence Suzaku to wake up to reality," Kallen concluded. "Risky, though. Personally, I'm all for Geassing him."

"That could have unintended consequences," CC said. "The wrong sort of command, especially if Geass is used in the heat of the moment, could cause trouble. Leaving a backdoor may be safest, but remember, a _Finite_ spell can remove that…and there's still Dumbledore and his followers to worry about."

"I'm still considering that. I'd prefer to sway him to my side through rhetoric than Geass. On another note…we have two new recruits to the Phoenix Knights. I've decided to bring in Diethard Ried as an information officer, particularly for propaganda. I'm not sure I wholly trust him with running our spy network, but his informants and means of getting intelligence are without reproach, and as a journalist, he'd be well-suited to helping shape our propaganda. More trustworthy, however, is my maid, Sayoko Shinozaki. After feeling her out, she's willing to join the Phoenix Knights in earnest, and she knows who I am. That being said, I'm mostly keeping her as a bodyguard and minder for Nunnally, as per her usual duties."

"Didn't you say she was a _kunoichi?_ " Harry asked. "A female ninja?"

"Yes. One of her duties will be to help train the Phoenix Knights in physical combat where possible," Lelouch said. "And, if need be, she will be acting as an assassin. If Suzaku does need to die, then it may be by her hand."

"I want some training if she really is a kunoichi," Kallen said grimly. "Most of what I know of combat is self-taught, and the few instructors we had were from other groups. My biggest teacher was my brother. But you'd better get some training in too, Lelouch. Harry may be scrawny, but I can tell he's fitter than you are."

Harry waggled the palm of his hand in a so-so gesture. Still, he smirked as Lelouch said, indignantly, "I only need my mind, not my body. I don't care what that sadistic teacher claimed."

Harry and Kallen shared a conspiratorial glance, one that was copied by CC. Lelouch was going to get some training in, whether he wanted to or not. And he'd curse them all the way…

 **CHAPTER 22 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Well, here we are. I was actually at a loss what to do for this chapter, but Arawn D Draven suggested doing some filler concentrating on the characters. I had, after all, pretty much resolved most of the issues for a few episodes, up to the Kamine Island stuff.**

 **While having Viletta interact with the students was planned, the Suzaku scene wasn't. But I think, in the end, it was a necessary thing. True, Harry seems a bit OOC to just do this, but keep in mind a few things. One, he is, admittedly, being used as my mouthpiece to give Suzaku a 'reason you suck' speech. Two, Harry has fought and bled alongside the Japanese resistance groups. He can understand someone who has joined the Honorary Britannians for a better life, but to claim he can reform such a corrupt system from within was the height of stupidity. Three, he's hoping that he can get it through to Suzaku that doing things in that pacifistic manner isn't going to cut it anymore. In fact, he sees a lot of his former self in Suzaku, so there's some self-loathing and projection there. Four, he's still got a lot of pent-up anger against the likes of Dumbledore, and he sees a lot of Dumbledore in Suzaku as well as himself.**

 **Ironically, in suggesting Euphemia may listen to Suzaku, Harry may have given Suzaku the idea he needs to get what he wants. In addition, Suzaku, having heard something of Harry's life, and hearing what Harry would have done in his shoes, actually begins to examine his own actions, so we may see a Suzaku who may be prime for a heel-face turn by the end of the fic.**

 **Anyway, I'm not sure when the next chapter will come out. It may be another filler one, focusing on the fallout with Suzaku, or something else. Hope you enjoyed this one.**

 **1\. While I can't remember exactly which book this was from, this was used to describe cowardly 'wizard' Rincewind in the Discworld series.**


	24. Chapter 23: Knight of Euphemia

**CHAPTER 23:**

 **KNIGHT OF EUPHEMIA**

"So, he actually manned up and admitted it?" Kallen asked.

Lelouch nodded. It was during lunch in his quarters. Lelouch and Suzaku had disappeared for a while at the beginning of lunch, only to reappear. "I think your little fight some days back may have knocked some small sense into him, Harry," Lelouch said. "It felt like a confession. I still think he's being boneheaded enough about working within the system, but I think you've managed to give him some ideas of how to do so. If he is close enough to Euphie to influence her, she can then influence Cornelia."

Kallen frowned, looking conflicted. As much as she hated the fact that Suzaku was a quisling, and had all but set in motion the deliverance of Japan into the hands of Britannia, what his father had intended would have been worse. It was one thing to fight to the death when one could possibly win in the end, but to fight to the death just to spite the enemy? And for Suzaku to commit patricide at such a young age must have been traumatic. "Do you think he can make a difference?"

"Possibly. Keep in mind, our primary purpose, aside from overthrowing Britannian rule of Japan, is to discover what exactly my father and this VV are up to, as well as who is responsible for my mother's murder. As CC can't tell us directly without getting us into danger from them, we need to discover that ourselves."

"I can tell you this much, boy," CC said. "What Charles and VV intend makes world domination look petty by comparison. That being said, I would suggest very discreetly investigating Kaminejima, or Kamine Island. It's not far from Shikine Island."

"What could be worse than world domination?" Kallen asked. "No, it's a serious question. I mean, aside from destroying the world or wiping out humanity, I'm not sure there's anything else that comes to mind."

"You'd be surprised, and it is a very good question," CC remarked. "The answer is in deadly earnest. I am trying to find ways around this. Maybe one of your wizard friends has the answer, Harry."

"Maybe a variation on the Fidelius?" Harry mused out loud.

"Perhaps. Know, however, that I am on your side, even without the Unbreakable Vow. I have a vested interest in keeping both of my contractors alive, and in any case, I've grown attached to your little group. I didn't think I had any sentimentality left. Back to Suzaku…it may be possible that he has been given a wakeup call by Harry's actions…but we can't guarantee that. Those who hold onto dogmatic beliefs take a long time to change them…assuming they don't react unpredictably, or even change at all. I speak from experience. So we need to keep assassination open as a possible option. Suzaku is one who seeks death, and as with dogmatics, those with such a suicidal bent may not change their minds until after they've leapt off the bridge."

"I know. But you're asking much of me," Lelouch said. "Even after killing Clovis…I had a bad reaction to that. It's odd…killing men on the battlefield is one thing, but to kill someone I know, and in cold blood…" He shook his head. "I'm a hypocrite."

"No…you're just still human," Kallen said. "Harry has killed before, but Mao's death really affected him, as you know. And…well, I've killed before, and I didn't like it. Just…when the time comes, if you can't do it, trust me to do it for you. I'll make it quick, if nothing else."

"I hope it won't come to that…"

* * *

Not long afterwards, they, along with the other Phoenix Knights, were watching a TV broadcast. The core members of the Phoenix Knights, along with Tohdoh, were watching it on the big screen TV in their mobile HQ. "Stupid bloody Clovis," Tamaki sneered. "Why does he get a memorial gallery?"

"Oh, I agree," Lelouch said. "It's an obscene waste of money that would be better spent elsewhere. However, for all of Clovis' faults, and there were a lot of them, his immaculate taste in artwork was one of his few indisputable virtues."

"So, why are we watching this?" Naomi Inoue asked.

"We've pretty much purged Tokyo and the surrounding area of Refrain dealers, and we haven't got any prison breakouts to deal with. The Four Swords are currently out negotiating with the last remnants of the JLF who wish to join us. In addition, we're waiting on Kyoto, as well as their resident genius to come along. I've heard good things about Rakshata Chawla. So I guess you could say we're on-call," Lelouch said. "However, there is something to be gained from this. The first is that many influential Britannians have attended this, and we can look at who to target if need be. The second is that I have heard rumours from our sources within the government that my half-sister is under pressure to choose a personal Knight. It may be that she announces who it is at this ceremony. Thirdly, Euphemia is still a prime target for terrorists. And as she is still potentially useful to our cause, if need be, we can re-enact what happened at Lake Kawaguchi."

"You still think you can influence her?" Tohdoh asked.

"Possibly, and through her, Cornelia. Our enemies, in the end, are Britannia itself and the Emperor," Lelouch pointed out. "Suborning Cornelia would be difficult, but if we can manage it, it would be one major coup. Also, seeing what artwork Euphie chooses as the best will show her stance in certain policies. That painting she clearly has her eye on is by an artist who is apparently a quarter-Japanese, whereas the organisers are rather unsubtly trying to get her to choose that rather pretentious one of the Emperor. Euphemia may not have the same aggression as her sister, she may be gentle and kind, but you can never mistake that for weakness. She has a core of steel beneath all that."

Tohdoh nodded. "Hmm. In Japan, we would call her sort a _yamato nadeshiko_. And I have noticed that the aggression of Cornelia's campaigns have gone down a little since you revealed your continued survival to her."

"Yes. I doubt she would turn traitor to Britannia without further work, but one thing she is not blind to is my father's attitude to those he considers weak and unworthy, so she has kept her silence for that reason. Euphemia is the Emperor's leverage against Cornelia, just as Nunnally would be my own."

"Do you think the Emperor suspects you to be still alive?" Ohgi asked.

Lelouch stilled, before he said, "It's a distinct possibility, even if I had hoped it to be a remote one. That he hasn't sent people to search for me or to retrieve me speaks of either his belief that I am dead, or else that he is content to have me where I am. The latter possibility is, frankly, disturbing, and I've tried not to consider that. I've taken as many precautions as possible to prevent Lelouch Lamperouge or Lelouch vi Britannia from being linked to Zero, but we need to consider possible worst case scenarios. I'm working out a proper organisational structure for the Phoenix Knights in case something does go wrong. Remember, there's still the very real possibility of Harry being taken by those from his world. The loss of abilities like his, while not a crippling blow, nonetheless reduces the options you can use. And, of course, if I am captured…"

"I know boltholes we can use throughout Japan," Tohdoh said. "It may not be best, but if you are compromised…"

"Exactly. One thing I do ask of you, Tohdoh. Should I die or be compromised…look after Nunnally."

Tohdoh nodded, while Tamaki frowned. "Lelouch, I gotta ask you something. Will Nunnally be fine with, y'know, Japanese rebels looking after her? I mean, I'm okay with babysitting her, better with us than that douche you call a sperm donor, but she might be a bit…I dunno."

"Nunnally is rather gentle and kind, and she actually likes the Japanese. Like Euphie, she tries to see the good in everyone, but that also means that she sometimes blinds herself to the bad," Lelouch said. "And she is even more naïve than Euphie. Admittedly, some of that is my fault. After my mother was murdered, I made an especial attempt to keep her happy. That went double during the invasion. While Suzaku and I fled with her, taking turns carrying her…I had to lie to her. I claimed we were passing through a garbage dump. Then again, I'm sure the Britannians would have called the corpses of dead Japanese garbage."

"…Shit," Tamaki muttered, the single expletive holding a whole lot of revelation, and even sympathy.

"It's for Nunnally that I fight, trying to ensure she has a world where she can be happy, and where she won't be in danger for being a crippled royal," Lelouch said. "Revenge is part of it, of course, but Nunnally is my reason to fight. Many of you present have lost family or friends to the invasion, as well as the subsequent regime. But there needs to be something more than revenge driving us. Or else what will stop us from going too far?"

Before any remarks would be given to that, Kallen noticed something on the TV. "Hey, look, she's chosen that painting. Not the one of the Emperor, but the other one."

Lelouch chuckled. "…So it seems she is making a statement. It may cause a bit of a stir, but…"

"Hold on, she's about to make an announcement," Harry said.

"… _Questions you asked at the beginning of the event_ ," Euphemia was saying. " _I have been asked time and again to appoint a personal Knight to myself. To that end, I have decided to appoint Warrant Officer Suzaku Kururugi to that role_ …"

Predictably, there was pandemonium. But even as the reporters bombarded her with questions, Ohgi frowned. "So, is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

"It depends," Lelouch said. "While Euphie is intelligent, she also has a rather impulsive streak at times, and a progressive nature not shared by many in that incestuous cesspool I am forced to call a family. By doing this, she has rocked the boat, and if there's one thing the nobility can't stand, it's someone who rocks the boat. All the same, Suzaku and Euphie may actually be good for each other, and that can help us. They may make moves that could help the Japanese people. And as Suzaku may very well have gotten his wakeup call…"

"All the same, we cannot pin our hopes on this," Tohdoh said.

"Yes, of course, you're right. I just…hope at times we can get a break."

"Remember Sod's Law, Lelouch," Harry said. "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, at the worst possible time. Or, in other words, the perversity and malice of the universe tends towards a maximum."

A round of snorts and chuckles echoed around the room. It was rueful laughter, but laughter all the same. "I know from experience how true that is," CC remarked. "Take it from someone who has centuries of experience."

"Then what do you think about the situation, CC?" Tohdoh asked.

"Honestly? Having Euphemia as an ally is valuable, as is potentially suborning Cornelia," CC said. "However, that is a risk. And there are elements of the Britannian Empire who are aware of the power of Geass. The Emperor himself has a Geass. However, each Geass power is different, dependent on the deepest desires of the one holding it."

"So what does that say about Lelouch?" Ohgi asked.

"That he was, in his own way, powerless and impotent, and wished for power to change that," CC said. "Harry's Geass is unusual, as it seems to have interacted with his magic, so it's an exception to the rule, as I don't believe his desire is to kill instantly. Anyway, back to Euphemia and Cornelia. While I am sure many of you feel disquiet if not anger towards Cornelia for her actions in battle, keep in mind that her main problem is her fanatical adherence to Britannian ideology. However, she also cares about her family, specifically her sister, as well as Lelouch and Nunnally. I've asked Lelouch to have our sources within the government to look for any evidence of Code-R, the project Clovis set up to try and replicate my immortality. Cornelia does have her limits as to the atrocities she is willing to stomach. Of course, suborning Cornelia is a risk, and if need be, we may need to assassinate her. However, given the other possible Viceroys that could be sent, it may be better for resistance groups to have her in charge."

"Yes, I've heard about the actions of some of the other spawn of the Emperor when they've been Viceroys," Tohdoh said. "Carine, for example…"

"Yes. Cornelia may be brutal in combat, but she's also a pragmatist. Carine is not. She has a taste for violence and sadism, and would make Clovis look desirable by comparison," Lelouch said. "Guinevere is also one to watch out for. While not as martial as Carine or Cornelia, she views any non-Britannians, Numbers or not, with utter contempt, and if she ever became Viceroy, it'd probably be an intensely oppressive regime. It'd be a pyrrhic victory to exchange someone like Cornelia, as brutal as she can be, with people you can't actually reason with. Notice the word reason rather than negotiate with. She doesn't negotiate with terrorists, of course, but she can be reasoned with, as Lake Kawaguchi showed."

"So, what next, then?" Harry asked.

"Well, it depends on what juicy bit of information we find out next," Lelouch said. "Though I think Shikine and Kamine Islands are certainly a priority…"

 **CHAPTER 23 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, there you have it. More filler, but with Euphie making Suzaku her Knight. Next chapter (and I dunno when it'll be out), we finally get onto Shikine and Kamine!**

 **Review-answering time!** **Thristan** **: Yep, you should. They're good books. While they're best read chronologically, most people agree that starting with the eighth book,** ** _Guards! Guards!_** **is the best entry point into the series.**

 **Jose19** **: At least for this fic, they will remain allies. Harry and Kallen act as Lelouch's conscience, having him think about the consequences of his actions. While he'll still be extreme, he'll try to keep things less objectionable. I think what happened to Euphie was the main turning point for Lelouch's methods to become even more extreme, so if she's saved…**

 **DZ2** **: Johnny Yong Bosch is the name of the actor who voiced Lelouch. He also voiced, amongst other roles, the delightfully deranged Ryuunosuke Uryu from** ** _Fate/Zero_** **and the hotblooded Jonathan Joestar in the first story arc of** ** _JoJo's Bizarre Adventure_** **. Aside from Lelouch, those are the roles I personally know him best for.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	25. Chapter 24: Disquiet

**CHAPTER 24:**

 **DISQUIET**

Meeting Rakshata Chawla for the first time was… _interesting_ , in the cursed sense of the term. Knowing she was Lloyd Asplund's biggest rival, and had her own eccentricities, hadn't prepared Harry and Kallen for meeting the Indian scientist. She was the one behind the Radiant Wave Surger device, as well as the Guren and the other Knightmares the Phoenix Knights were being outfitted with. Harry got the distinct impression that the buxom and blonde Indian wanted to either bed him or vivisect him. The former was flattering, but he knew Kallen would promptly neuter him (to say nothing about their respective ages), and the latter was all kinds of nope.

However, the new pilotsuits for the Knightmares were interesting. He couldn't help but admire Kallen's figure in what looked like figure-hugging red lycra (though it was actually a thicker material), and he knew she was checking him out. Apparently, these pilotsuits had some safety mechanisms to help protect their pilots during battle. Harry just wondered if Rakshata was a pervert who wanted to see some hot bodies in skintight material (not that all of the Phoenix Knights had a figure suited to such apparel, sadly).

Then again, it had been a time for all kinds of meetings. Of all people, Ohgi and Nu ran into each other near Ashford Academy. After a tense moment, the two, surprisingly, hit it off, and once Harry and Kallen learned of their relationship, they decided to ensure that Nu and Ohgi knew who they really were. Nu was surprised that the former Japanese schoolteacher was one of the key members of the Phoenix Knights, and Ohgi, in his own turn, was surprised that Nu was formerly of the Blood Purists.

Diethard Ried had also joined the Phoenix Knights at long last, but it was made clear that they didn't trust the Britannian that much. Both Harry and Lelouch made an effort to keep their masks on around him. He was, as they suspected, an opportunistic vulture. Then again, he seemed better than Rita Skeeter, in that he had some small semblance of loyalty, as long as they provided the stories he hungered for.

However, things began to escalate in earnest with one particular day…

* * *

There was no doubt about it: Lelouch was a Bond villain in the making. Why else would he obtain a submarine at such short notice, and one large enough to fit most of the Phoenix Knights rather comfortably? One of these days, Harry was going to order a fluffy white cat for the Britannian teenager to stroke. He probably needed a pet to help with his stress levels anyway. And given Suzaku's notorious inability to get along with cats (he was fine with them, but the reverse wasn't true), well, maybe Lelouch could sic said cat on Suzaku in an emergency.

Harry leafed through a file he had been given by Lelouch, frowning. They were in a small office in the submarine. "Not much info on Shikine or Kamine. Shikine is used as a covert airstrip for Britannian forces. Kamine, however, according to what Gottwald dug up, was annexed by Clovis some time ago. Uninhabited, but having ruins that seem to be not originating from any known Japanese or Ainu or any other preceding culture. He hasn't been able to find out more, given the strangely high amount of security around it, but it's telling that there's any at all, let alone so much."

"Indeed," Lelouch said. "We'll be investigating Kamine ourselves at a later date. Especially after I found that photo you're about to come across. I think you'll find it intriguing."

Harry's frown deepened as he did so. There was a strange mural with an elaborate carving on it. And he saw a familiar shape, doing a brief double-take, Kallen doing the same as she peered over his shoulder. "That's like the bird-like symbol that appeared in your eyes when I saw you use Geass for the first time."

"More than that," CC said. She then swept up her hair, and on her forehead, the same winged symbol faded into view. "Geass and Codes have been around for many thousands of years. How far, I don't know, but I would hazard that they are as old as civilisation, if not much, much older. Many a civilisation of yore was brought to its knees by Geass. I see that dimly through what I see through the World of C."

"You said that the World of C is…well, a world of thought, didn't you?" Kallen asked. "The collective unconsciousness of all humanity?"

"Indeed. It can be accessed physically, albeit with difficulty. What exists within the World of C, the World of Consciousness, for want of a better name, is the closest thing this world has to God. Even I have little understanding of what entity or entities reside there, and perhaps I am better off not knowing."

After a moment, Lelouch seemed to put something together, his eyes widening in horror. "…Whatever my father and VV plans…it's something to do with the World of C, am I correct?"

CC, after a moment, nodded. "Indeed. Access the noosphere of a world, the collective minds of all that reside on it, and you have access to a very potent weapon. You could do _anything_ to the minds of humanity…provided you found the way to manipulate the World of C."

"Mass-brainwashing…or perhaps he could just kill any dissidents from afar," Kallen muttered, her own expression horrified, as well as angry. "But he hasn't found a way to do it yet, or else he hasn't created a way of doing so yet. Otherwise, he would have done it by now."

"…That is serious Orwellian bullshit right there," Harry said flatly.

"…I think your friend Hermione brought that up. She said something about Big Brother when she saw a poster with the Emperor on it," Lelouch said. "George Orwell or someone like that. If you find a way to get back to your world, I've given Hermione a list of literature for her to obtain for me that she has mentioned."

"She'll probably dump a whole truckload of books on you, Lelouch," Harry said flatly. "Just saying. She considers a huge textbook 'light reading'."

Lelouch chuckled at that. "That being said, that only means we should redouble our efforts to stymie whatever VV or the Emperor have planned. On another note, we're first working out the final organisational structure of the Phoenix Knights, as well as the contingencies in case I am _hors de combat_. Ohgi will be my second in command in all non-military matters, at least on paper. In truth, I expect you two to help him if you are still present, especially given the lack of confidence he has as a leader. He'll need your support. The Chief of Military Affairs will be Tohdoh. I expect you to defer to him on matters of strategy and tactics if something should happen to me. What he lacks in my initiative and boldness, he makes up for in experience. Kallen, you will be the leader of the Zero Squad, while Harry, you will be the sole member of the Extranormal Operations, unless CC wishes to contribute in that regard. Because of your relationship with Kallen, you'll be pretty much on permanent attachment to Zero Squad. In addition, you two, along with Tohdoh, Jeremiah, Sayoko, and the willing within Ohgi's group, will be part of my Nunnally contingency. If my identity as Zero is compromised in any way, or if Nunnally is in any danger otherwise, I charge you with ensuring her safety, particularly during operations where I am needed during the latter scenario."

"We would do it anyway," Kallen said. "Aside from working out how we're organised, what's next on the agenda?"

"We're heading to Shikine Island. Euphemia is going there more or less incognito to meet with someone, away from the settlement, and from Cornelia's eyes. Jeremiah has dug up some interesting information as to who it seems to be: my brother Schneizel. What he is doing there, and why Euphie is meeting him, I don't know, as I doubt it is related to Kamine, at least where Euphie is concerned. However, this will be a chance to capture the Lancelot, or destroy it. Suzaku may be a brilliant pilot, but if we remove the Lancelot from play, it'll buy us some time before he can gain a Knightmare equal to or stronger than it. In addition, I believe Rakshata will be delighted to be able to take apart the Earl of Pudding's favourite toy if we manage to capture it."

"You're not going to try and intercept Schneizel?" Harry asked. "Didn't Clovis say he had something to do with shifting your mother's body?"

"Yes, but given that Cornelia has given me one of the better leads, I'm not sure what further information Schneizel can give me, and as both the Prime Minister of Britannia and the second in line to the throne, his security detail will be considerably greater, thus making things far more difficult if I intend to capture him. In addition, killing him will only serve to redouble the Empire's punitive actions towards Japan. In any case, I intend to take or destroy the Lancelot before Schneizel arrives."

"In other words, asset denial," Kallen said.

"Yes."

The redheaded pilot nodded in affirmation. "Got it. And Suzaku?"

"He dies only if necessary, and in battle. I will not condone cold-blooded assassination, not like Ried or Rakshata suggested."

"…Ried tried to sell me on the idea, Lelouch," Kallen admitted. "I understand his reasoning, but I'm abiding by your decision for now, especially if he could be our in with Euphemia. But if I need to, to save your life or anyone else's, I'm killing him, got it?"

Lelouch nodded mutely, clearly not liking it, but accepting it all the same. He could not refute Kallen's logic, and conserving the lives of his own people came first. Harry just hoped that it wouldn't cause further trouble.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Harry asked.

"Raskhata has developed a device known as the Gefjun Disturber. Basically, it shuts down all Sakuradite-based technology within its field of effect. In other words, it can paralyse a Knightmare Frame," Lelouch said.

"Meaning it could very easily backfire if any of your own units are in the field," CC mused. "In addition, Sakuradite is a terrestrial form of exotic matter. Anything that interacts with it in new ways could trigger unusual effects. Large quantities, when subjected to a large enough explosion, amplify that explosion in unusual ways. You saw that happen when you dealt with Katase. If this is an untested piece of technology, I'd be cautious. Especially if something else interacts with it. While I don't know much about what Schneizel and his people have been researching, what I had heard before my confinement was interesting. Flight systems for Knightmares and large-scale airships. A form of directed energy weapon that uses particle beams. The sort of things that are sure to either ensure Britannia's dominance over the world, or else spark a new arms race between the three main superpowers of the world."

"…A directed energy weapon that uses a particle beam?" Lelouch asked in horror.

"I believe the specific term used was a Hadron Cannon," CC said.

"What's a hadron?" Harry asked.

"Hadrons are the basic subatomic particles like neutrons and protons," Lelouch explained. "An electron is a smaller class of subatomic particle known as a lepton. Hadrons are generally made of quarks."

"Okay, I don't really need the subatomic physics lecture. The short version is, your brother may well have created some sort of death ray or something, am I right in my guess?" Kallen asked.

"Essentially, yes. The power requirements are enormous, even more so than a Knightmare Frame, so it'd be more plausible to put it onto a massive vehicle with a lot of energy to spare," Lelouch said. "It'd be basically heavy artillery. Pump enough power into something like that, and it'd go through an army of Knightmares like a hot knife through butter."

"…Okay, Lelouch? You're not the only Bond villain in the family," Harry snarked. "Okay, we knew that from the xenophobic tyrant sperm donor who wants to rule the world, but you also have someone who commissions huge bloody death rays. It's either that, or your father is the Galactic Emperor, and your brother is Darth Vader or Moff Tarkin."

The three others present looked askance at him, before Kallen muttered, "This must be that _Star Wars_ thing he told me about. More movies we'll need to bring back from his homeworld."

"That one, I can see people enjoying more than the Bond films," Harry said. "Seriously, there has to be a way to use Sakuradite to create a lightsaber." On CC and Lelouch's looks, he said, "Imagine a sword, but with a beam of light or plasma a few feet long for a blade."

"That sounds impractical and dangerous, but undoubtedly stylish," CC remarked. "Still…going back to Schneizel…why would Euphemia be seeing him behind Cornelia's back? Even if you don't know why she is doing this, it's a very pertinent question to ask. My opinion is that she may be going behind Cornelia's back for something that Schneizel can provide. He is, after all, effectively the second in command of Britannia, and while his powers are not as unlimited as Charles', well, it does mean that Euphemia may very well be up to something that needs the political influence Schneizel has to implement."

"And if Schneizel is amenable to it, it means something that can further his ambitions," Lelouch concluded with a scowl. "Cornelia was bad enough, but to have Euphemia acting as Schneizel's puppet? I was hoping not to have Schneizel make any plays yet. I'd hoped his duties as Prime Minister would prevent him for now. Damnation, I hadn't considered this. I was so distracted by the thought of asset denial that I forgot to consider the implications properly. Then again…" He looked at the folders. "CC…what are the odds that he is also here to investigate Kamine Island and the ruins there?"

"While I cannot say for sure that he is, it's possible. While Schneizel, to my knowledge, has no links to VV or his machinations, he's obviously smart enough to start putting the pieces together," CC said, the green-haired immortal frowning in thought. "He may be investigating of his own accord to find out what your father is up to."

"In other words, we have too many questions, and not enough answers," Kallen said. "Let's hope our little sojourn here is worth it." She then grimaced. "I bloody jinxed it, didn't I?"

The nods she got from the others present told her all she needed to know…

 **CHAPTER 24 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Yeah, Kallen, you jinxed it.**

 **Sorry about the wait. Admittedly, this is partly due to my interest in** ** _Code Geass_** **waning somewhat. I also intended to have the Kamine Island stuff later in the chapter, but I got so caught up in Harry, Kallen, Lelouch and CC discussing the situation, well, it turned out like this. Then again, I am at my best with character interaction. Keep in mind, it may be some time before the next chapter.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


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